title: Thickness-dependent crossover from charge- to strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling in ferromagnetic/piezoelectric oxide heterostructures.
abstract: Magnetoelectric oxide heterostructures are proposed active layers for spintronic memory and logic devices, where information is conveyed through spin transport in the solid state. Incomplete theories of the coupling between local strain, charge, and magnetic order have limited their deployment into new information and communication technologies. In this study, we report direct, local measurements of strain- and charge-mediated magnetization changes in the La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 system using spatially resolved characterization techniques in both real and reciprocal space. Polarized neutron reflectometry reveals a graded magnetization that results from both local structural distortions and interfacial screening of bound surface charge from the adjacent ferroelectric. Density functional theory calculations support the experimental observation that strain locally suppresses the magnetization through a change in the Mn-eg orbital polarization. We suggest that this local coupling and magnetization suppression may be tuned by controlling the manganite and ferroelectric layer thicknesses, with direct implications for device applications.
authors: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
authors: Steven R
authors: SR
authors: Spurgeon
authors: Jennifer D
authors: JD
authors: Sloppy
authors: Despoina Maria Demie
authors: DM
authors: Kepaptsoglou
authors: Prasanna V
authors: PV
authors: Balachandran
authors: Siamak
authors: S
authors: Nejati
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Karthik
authors: Anoop R
authors: AR
authors: Damodaran
authors: Craig L
authors: CL
authors: Johnson
authors: Hailemariam
authors: H
authors: Ambaye
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Goyette
authors: Valeria
authors: V
authors: Lauter
authors: Quentin M
authors: QM
authors: Ramasse
authors: Juan Carlos
authors: JC
authors: Idrobo
authors: Kenneth K S
authors: KK
authors: Lau
authors: Samuel E
authors: SE
authors: Lofland
authors: James M
authors: JM
authors: Rondinelli
authors: Lane W
authors: LW
authors: Martin
authors: Mitra L
authors: ML
authors: Taheri