Interface induced out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy in magnetoelectric BiFeO3-BaTiO3 superlattices

Room temperature magnetoelectric BiFeO3-BaTiO3 superlattices with strong out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition. We show that the out-ofplane magnetization component increases with the increasing number of double layers. Moreover, the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient can be tuned by varying the number of interfaces, reaching a maximum value of 29 V/cmOe for the20×BiFeO3-BaTiO3 superlattice. This enhancement is accompanied by a high degree of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, making the latter an ideal candidate for the next generation of data storage devices

Magnetic spin structure and magnetoelectric coupling in BiFeO3-BaTiO3 multilayer

Magnetic spin structures in epitaxial BiFeO3 single layer and an epitaxial BaTiO3/BiFeO3 multilayer thin film have been studied by means of nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation. We demonstrate a spin reorientation in the 15 x[BaTiO3/BiFeO3] multilayer compared to the single BiFeO3 thin film. Where as in the BiFeO3 film, the net magnetic moment m→ lies in the (1–10) plane, identical to the bulk, m→ in the multilayer points to different polar and azimuthal directions. This spin reorientation indicates that strain and interfaces play a significant role in tuning the magnetic spin order. Furthermore, large difference in the magnetic field dependence of the magnetoelectric coefficient observed between the BiFeO3 single layer and multilayer can be associated with this magnetic spin reorientation

Dislocation density and tetragonal distortion of a GaN epilayer on Si(111): a comparative RBS/C and TEM study

Rutherford backscattering and channeling spectrometry (RBS/C) as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to characterize the crystalline structure of a GaN layer grown on a Si (1 1 1) substrate. The channeling measurements are performed along the off-normal 〈12̄13 〉 axis in the {10 1 ̄ 0 } plane of the GaN layer. The threading edge dislocation defect density obtained from RBS/C is quantitatively compared to the results obtained from TEM. The strain is found not to be completely relaxed, e T ≠ 0, in spite of the large thickness of the GaN layer (3.0 μm), and in spite of the incorporation of various buffer layers. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Dislocation density and tetragonal distortion of a GaN epilayer on Si (111): A comparative RBS/C and TEM study journaltitle: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2014.02.014 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.status: publishe

Tuning the ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic interfaces of granular Co-CoO exchange bias systems by annealing

The low-temperature magnetic behavior of granular Co-CoO exchange bias systems, prepared by oxygen ion implantation in Co thin films and subsequent annealing, is addressed. The thermal activation effects lead to an O migration which results in virtually pure Co areas embedded in a structurally relaxed and nearly stoichiometric CoO phase. This yields decreased training and exchange bias shifts, while the blocking temperature significantly increases, coming close to the Néel temperature of bulk CoO for samples implanted to a fluence above 1 × 1017 ions/cm2 (15% O). The dependence of the exchange bias shift on the pristine O-implanted content is analogous to that of the antiferromagnetic thickness in most ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic systems (i.e., an increase in the exchange bias shift up to a maximum followed by a decrease until a steady state is reached), suggesting that, after annealing, the enriched Co areas might be rather similar in size for samples implanted above 1 × 1017 ions/cm 2, whereas the corresponding CoO counterparts become enlarged with pristine O content (i.e., effect of the antiferromagnet size). This study demonstrates that the magnetic properties of granular Co-CoO systems can be tailored by controllably modifying the local microstructure through annealing treatments. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.status: publishe

Ion-induced pattern formation on indium tin oxide for alignment of liquid crystals

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. Indium tin oxide (ITO) is broadly used as a transparent conducting material for electrodes in optoelectronic devices. Irradiation of ITO with low energy ions can result in the formation of periodic surface nanopatterns which can serve as an alternative for the polymer alignment layer in liquid crystal devices. We investigated the formation of the ion-induced surface nanopatterns on ITO with focus on the influence of the crystalline structure of the material. We find that the crystallinity plays a crucial role in the pattern formation, with no pattern developing on an amorphous ITO surface. We discuss these findings in the context of the state-of-the-art theory for ion-induced patterning. We show that the ion-induced pattern plays a critical role in the liquid crystal alignment on ITO surfaces.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Ion-induced pattern formation on indium tin oxide for alignment of liquid crystals journaltitle: Thin Solid Films articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2015.05.048 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.status: publishe

Tuning the ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic interfaces of granular Co-CoO exchange bias systems by annealing

The low-temperature magnetic behavior of granular Co-CoO exchange bias systems, prepared by oxygen ion implantation in Co thin films and subsequent annealing, is addressed. The thermal activation effects lead to an O migration which results in virtually pure Co areas embedded in a structurally relaxed and nearly stoichiometric CoO phase. This yields decreased training and exchange bias shifts, while the blocking temperature significantly increases, coming close to the N'eel temperature of bulk CoO for samples implanted to a fluence above 1 x 1017 ions/cm² (15% O). The dependence of the exchange bias shift on the pristine O-implanted content is analogous to that of the antiferromagnetic thickness in most ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic systems (i.e., an increase in the exchange bias shift up to a maximum followed by a decrease until a steady state is reached), suggesting that, after annealing, the enriched Co areas might be rather similar in size for samples implanted above 1 x 1017 ions/cm², whereas the corresponding CoO counterparts become enlarged with pristine O content (i.e., effect of the antiferromagnet size). This study demonstrates that the magnetic properties of granular Co-CoO systems can be tailored by controllably modifying the local microstructure through annealing treatments

Effect of rare-earth ion doping on the multiferroic properties of BiFeO3 thin films grown epitaxially on SrTiO3(1 0 0)

High-quality epitaxial Bi1-xRExFeO3(RE=La, Nd, Gd; x = 0, 0.05, 0.15) thin films were prepared on SrTiO3(1 0 0)substrates using pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction and RBS-channelling spectroscopy showed that the films are single-phase perovskite, free of additional phases and textured with preferential orientation along the [1 0 0] direction. The dependences of magnetization on temperature and field showed that the films exhibit weak ferromagnetic properties. Among the studied rare-earth doping ions, Bi3+substitution by Gd3+most considerably enhanced the ferromagnetic properties. Substitution by La3+smoothened out the surface morphology, which is important for different potential applications. Both undoped and doped films showed clear ferroelectric response in piezoresponse force microscopy, thus confirming their multiferroic nature. The doping was found to promote a preferential ferroelectric poling of the domains. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.status: publishe

Tuning the ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic interfaces of granular Co-CoO exchange bias systems by annealing

The low-temperature magnetic behavior of granular Co-CoO exchange bias systems, prepared by oxygen ion implantation in Co thin films and subsequent annealing, is addressed. The thermal activation effects lead to an O migration which results in virtually pure Co areas embedded in a structurally relaxed and nearly stoichiometric CoO phase. This yields decreased training and exchange bias shifts, while the blocking temperature significantly increases, coming close to the N'eel temperature of bulk CoO for samples implanted to a fluence above 1 x 1017 ions/cm² (15% O). The dependence of the exchange bias shift on the pristine O-implanted content is analogous to that of the antiferromagnetic thickness in most ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic systems (i.e., an increase in the exchange bias shift up to a maximum followed by a decrease until a steady state is reached), suggesting that, after annealing, the enriched Co areas might be rather similar in size for samples implanted above 1 x 1017 ions/cm², whereas the corresponding CoO counterparts become enlarged with pristine O content (i.e., effect of the antiferromagnet size). This study demonstrates that the magnetic properties of granular Co-CoO systems can be tailored by controllably modifying the local microstructure through annealing treatments

Interface induced out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy in magnetoelectric BiFeO3-BaTiO3 superlattices

© 2017 Author(s). Room temperature magnetoelectric BiFeO3-BaTiO3 superlattices with strong out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition. We show that the out-of-plane magnetization component increases with the increasing number of double layers. Moreover, the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient can be tuned by varying the number of interfaces, reaching a maximum value of 29 V/cm Oe for the 20×BiFeO3-BaTiO3 superlattice. This enhancement is accompanied by a high degree of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, making the latter an ideal candidate for the next generation of data storage devices.status: publishe

Magnetic spin structure and magnetoelectric coupling in BiFeO3-BaTiO3 multilayer

© 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. Magnetic spin structures in epitaxial BiFeO3 single layer and an epitaxial BaTiO3/BiFeO3 multilayer thin film have been studied by means of nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation. We demonstrate a spin reorientation in the 15 × [BaTiO3/BiFeO3] multilayer compared to the single BiFeO3 thin film. Whereas in the BiFeO3 film, the net magnetic moment m → lies in the (1-10) plane, identical to the bulk, m → in the multilayer points to different polar and azimuthal directions. This spin reorientation indicates that strain and interfaces play a significant role in tuning the magnetic spin order. Furthermore, large difference in the magnetic field dependence of the magnetoelectric coefficient observed between the BiFeO3 single layer and multilayer can be associated with this magnetic spin reorientation.status: publishe