Abstract
Electric-field control of magnetism requires deterministic control of the magnetic order and understanding of the magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroics like BiFeO 3 and EuTiO 3 . Despite this critical need, there are few studies on the strain evolution of magnetic order in BiFeO 3 films. Here, in (110)-oriented BiFeO 3 films, we reveal that while the polarization structure remains relatively unaffected, strain can continuously tune the orientation of the antiferromagnetic-spin axis across a wide angular space, resulting in an unexpected deviation of the classical perpendicular relationship between the antiferromagnetic axis and the polarization. Calculations suggest that this evolution arises from a competition between the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and single-ion anisotropy wherein the former dominates at small strains and the two are comparable at large strains. Finally, strong coupling between the BiFeO 3 and the ferromagnet Co 0.9 Fe 0.1 exists such that the magnetic anisotropy of the ferromagnet can be effectively controlled by engineering the orientation of the antiferromagnetic-spin axis.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 3764 |
Journal | Nature Communications |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2018 |