Onset of Multiferroicity in Prototypical Single-Spin Cycloid BiFeO₃ Thin Films


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Date

2023-10-11

Publication Type

Journal Article

ETH Bibliography

yes

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Abstract

In the room-temperature magnetoelectric multiferroic BiFeO3, the noncollinear antiferromagnetic state is coupled to the ferroelectric order, opening applications for low-power electric-field-controlled magnetic devices. While several strategies have been explored to simplify the ferroelectric landscape, here we directly stabilize a single-domain ferroelectric and spin cycloid state in epitaxial BiFeO3 (111) thin films grown on orthorhombic DyScO3 (011). Comparing them with films grown on SrTiO3 (111), we identify anisotropic in-plane strain as a powerful handle for tailoring the single antiferromagnetic state. In this single-domain multiferroic state, we establish the thickness limit of the coexisting electric and magnetic orders and directly visualize the suppression of the spin cycloid induced by the magnetoelectric interaction below the ultrathin limit of 1.4 nm. This as-grown single-domain multiferroic configuration in BiFeO3 thin films opens an avenue both for fundamental investigations and for electrically controlled noncollinear antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Publication status

published

Editor

Book title

Journal / series

Volume

23 (19)

Pages / Article No.

9073 - 9079

Publisher

American Chemical Society

Event

Edition / version

Methods

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Geographic location

Date collected

Date created

Subject

multiferroic; antiferromagnetic; ferroelectric; anisotropic strain; Critical thickness; BiFeO₃

Organisational unit

03918 - Fiebig, Manfred / Fiebig, Manfred check_circle

Notes

Funding

188414 - Multifunctional oxide electronics using natural ferroelectric superlattices (SNF)

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