Chiral domains in cycloidal multiferroic thin films: switching and memory effects

Intrinsic Ferroelectricity in Charge-Ordered Magnetite

Single crystalline magnetite Fe 3 O 4 was investigated at low temperatures in the charge ordered state by electric measurements and time-resolved diffraction with voltage applied in-situ. Dielectric spectroscopy indicates relaxor ferroelectric characteristics, with polarization switching observably only at sufficiently low temperatures and in a suitably chosen time-window. PUND measurements with a ms time scale indicate a switchable polarization of about 0 . 6 μ C / cm 2 . Significant switching occurs only above a threshold field of about 3 kV / mm , and it occurs with a time delay of about 20 μ s . The time-resolved diffraction experiment yields, for sufficiently high voltage pulses, a systematic variation by about 0 . 1 % of the intensity of the ( 2 , 2 ¯ , 10 ¯ ) Bragg reflection, which is attributed to structural switching of domains of the non-centrosymmetric C c structure to its inversion twins, providing proof of intrinsic ferroelectricity in charge ordered magnetite.

How to manipulate magnetic states of antiferromagnets

Antiferromagnetic materials, which have drawn considerable attention recently, have fascinating features: they are robust against perturbation, produce no stray fields, and exhibit ultrafast dynamics. Discerning how to efficiently manipulate the magnetic state of an antiferromagnet is key to the development of antiferromagnetic spintronics. In this review, we introduce four main methods (magnetic, strain, electrical, and optical) to mediate the magnetic states and elaborate on intrinsic origins of different antiferromagnetic materials. Magnetic control includes a strong magnetic field, exchange bias, and field cooling, which are traditional and basic. Strain control involves the magnetic anisotropy effect or metamagnetic transition. Electrical control can be divided into two parts, electric field and electric current, both of which are convenient for practical applications. Optical control includes thermal and electronic excitation, an inertia-driven mechanism, and terahertz laser control, with the potential for ultrafast antiferromagnetic manipulation. This review sheds light on effective usage of antiferromagnets and provides a new perspective on antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Mn 3d bands and Y-O hybridization of hexagonal and orthorhombic YMnO3 thin films

We report here the O K-edge x-ray absorption spectra of hexagonal and orthorhombic YMnO₃ thin films, aiming at comparing the changes in the Mn 3d bands as well as the role of Y 4d-O 2p hybridization. The experimental results were analyzed using first principles (GGA) band structure calculations. The spectra present clear differences in the Mn 3d bands, which are attributed to changes in the Mn-O coordination and symmetry. A strong Y 4d-O 2p hybridization is observed in both the hexagonal and orthorhombic films, and its possible role on the occurrence of the observed ferroelectricity is discussed.

Electric-Field-Adjustable Time-Dependent Magnetoelectric Response in Martensitic FeRh Alloy

Steady or dynamic magnetoelectric response, selectable and adjustable by only varying the amplitude of the applied electric field, is found in a multiferroic FeRh/PMN-PT device. In-operando time-dependent structural, ferroelectric, and magnetoelectric characterizations provide evidence that, as in magnetic shape memory martensitic alloys, the observed distinctive magnetoelectric responses are related to the time-dependent relative abundance of antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic phases in FeRh, unbalanced by voltage-controlled strain. This flexible magnetoelectric response can be exploited not only for energy-efficient memory operations but also in other applications, where multilevel and/or transient responses are required.

Electric control of magnetism at the Fe/BaTiO₃ interface

Interfacial magnetoelectric coupling is a viable path to achieve electrical writing of magnetic information in spintronic devices. For the prototypical Fe/BaTiO₃ system, only tiny changes of the interfacial Fe magnetic moment upon reversal of the BaTiO₃ dielectric polarization have been predicted so far. Here, by using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism in combination with high resolution electron microscopy and first principles calculations, we report on an undisclosed physical mechanism for interfacial magnetoelectric coupling in the Fe/BaTiO₃ system. At this interface, an ultrathin oxidized iron layer exists, whose magnetization can be electrically and reversibly switched on-off at room-temperature by reversing the BaTiO₃ polarization. The suppression / recovery of interfacial ferromagnetism results from the asymmetric effect that ionic displacements in BaTiO₃ produces on the exchange coupling constants in the interfacial oxidized Fe layer. The observed giant magnetoelectric response holds potential for optimizing interfacial magnetoelectric coupling in view of efficient, low-power spintronic devices.

Polarization enhancement and ferroelectric switching enabled by interacting magnetic structures in DyMnO₃ thin films

The mutual controls of ferroelectricity and magnetism are stepping towards practical applications proposed for quite a few promising devices in which multiferroic thin films are involved. Although ferroelectricity stemming from specific spiral spin ordering has been reported in highly distorted bulk perovskite manganites, the existence of magnetically induced ferroelectricity in the corresponding thin films remains an unresolved issue, which unfortunately halts this step. In this work, we report magnetically induced electric polarization and its remarkable response to magnetic field (an enhancement of ~800% upon a field of 2 Tesla at 2 K) in DyMnO₃ thin films grown on Nb-SrTiO₃ substrates. Accompanying with the large polarization enhancement, the ferroelectric coercivity corresponding to the magnetic chirality switching field is significantly increased. A picture based on coupled multicomponent magnetic structures is proposed to understand these features. Moreover, different magnetic anisotropy related to strain-suppressed GdFeO₃-type distortion and Jahn-Teller effect is identified in the films.

Strain-induced ferromagnetism in antiferromagnetic LuMnO3 thin films

Single phase and strained LuMnO(3) thin films are discovered to display coexisting ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic orders. A large moment ferromagnetism (≈1μ(B)), which is absent in bulk samples, is shown to display a magnetic moment distribution that is peaked at the highly strained substrate-film interface. We further show that the strain-induced ferromagnetism and the antiferromagnetic order are coupled via an exchange field, therefore demonstrating strained rare-earth manganite thin films as promising candidate systems for new multifunctional devices.

Anomalous exchange bias at collinear/noncollinear spin interface

We report on the interfacial magnetic coupling in manganite bilayers of collinear ferromagnetic La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ and noncollinear multiferroic TbMnO₃. Exchange bias is observed at the Néel temperature of TbMnO₃ (~41 K) due to the onset of long-range antiferromagnetic ordering in the Mn spin sublattice. Interestingly, an anomalous plateau of exchange bias emerges at the ordering temperature of Tb spins (~10 K), and we ascribe this unique feature to the strong coupling between Tb and Mn spin sublattices in TbMnO₃, which in turn influences the magnetic coupling across the interface. On the other hand, the enhancement of coercivity in La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃/TbMnO₃ shows monotonous temperature dependence. Our results illustrate a strong interfacial magnetic interaction at the La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃/TbMnO₃ interface, highlighting the roles of competing spin orders, magnetic frustration, and coupling between multiple spin sublattices in artificial collinear/noncollinear spin heterostructures.