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Title: Electric-field-driven magnetization reversal in square-shaped nanomagnet-based multiferroic heterostructure

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4917228· OSTI ID:22398862
;  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)
  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 (United States)

Based on phase field modeling and thermodynamic analysis, purely electric-field-driven magnetization reversal was shown to be possible in a multiferroic heterostructure of a square-shaped amorphous Co{sub 40}Fe{sub 40}B{sub 20} nanomagnet on top of a ferroelectric layer through electrostrain. The reversal is made possible by engineering the mutual interactions among the built-in uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, the geometry-dependent magnetic configuration anisotropy, and the magnetoelastic anisotropy. Particularly, the incorporation of the built-in uniaxial anisotropy made it possible to reverse magnetization with one single unipolar electrostrain pulse, which is simpler than previous designs involving the use of bipolar electrostrains and may alleviate ferroelectric fatigue. Critical conditions for triggering the magnetization reversal are identified.

OSTI ID:
22398862
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 106, Issue 14; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English