No Arabic abstract
A series of superlattices composed of ferromagnetic La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ (LCMO) and ferroelectric/paraelectric Ba$_{1-x}$Sr$_x$TiO$_3$ (0$leq $x$leq $1) were deposited on SrTiO$_3$ substrates using the pulsed laser deposition. Films of epitaxial nature comprised of spherical mounds having uniform size are obtained. Magnetotransport properties of the films reveal a ferromagnetic Curie temperature in the range of 145-158 K and negative magnetoresistance as high as 30%, depending on the type of ferroelectric layers employed for their growth (QTR{it}{i.e.} QTR{it}{x} value). Ferroelectricity at temperatures ranging from 55 K to 105 K is also observed, depending on the barium content. More importantly, the multiferroic nature of the film is determined by the appearance of negative magnetocapacitance, which was found to be maximum around the ferroelectric transition temperature (3% per QTR{it}{tesla}). These results are understood based on the role of the ferroelectric/paraelectric layers and strains in inducing the multiferroism.
A microscopic model Hamiltonian for the ferroelectric field effect is introduced for the study of oxide heterostructures with ferroelectric components. The long-range Coulomb interaction is incorporated as an electrostatic potential, solved self-consistently together with the charge distribution. A generic double-exchange system is used as the conducting channel, epitaxially attached to the ferroelectric gate. The observed ferroelectric screening effect, namely the charge accumulation/depletion near the interface, is shown to drive interfacial phase transitions that give rise to robust magnetoelectric responses and bipolar resistive switching, in qualitative agreement with previous density functional theory calculations. The model can be easily adapted to other materials by modifying the Hamiltonian of the conducting channel, and it is useful in simulating ferroelectric field effect devices particularly those involving strongly correlated electronic components where ab-initio techniques are difficult to apply.
Ferroelectric field-effect doping has emerged as a powerful approach to manipulate the ground state of correlated oxides, opening the door to a new class of field-effect devices. However, this potential is not fully exploited so far, since the size of the field-effect doping is generally much smaller than expected. Here we study the limiting factors through magneto-transport, scanning transmission electron and piezo-response force microscopy in ferroelectric/superconductor (YBa2Cu3O7-{delta} /BiFeO3) heterostructures, a model system showing very strong field-effects. Still, we find that they are limited in the first place by an incomplete ferroelectric switching. This can be explained by the existence of a preferential polarization direction set by the atomic terminations at the interface. More importantly, we also find that the field-effect carrier doping is accompanied by a strong modulation of the carrier mobility. Besides making quantification of field-effects via Hall measurements not straightforward, this finding suggests that ferroelectric poling produces structural changes (e.g. charged defects or structural distortions) in the correlated oxide channel. Those findings have important consequences for the understanding of ferroelectric field-effects and for the strategies to further enhance them.
A series of epitaxial (LaVO3)6m(SrVO3)m superlattices having the same nominal composition as La6/7Sr1/7VO3, a Mott-Hubbard insulator, were grown with pulsed-laser deposition on [001]-oriented SrTiO3 substrates, and their superlattice period was varied. When m=1, the insulating resistivity of bulk-like La6/7Sr1/7VO3 is obtained; however, an increase in the periodicity (m>=2) results in metallic samples. Comparison of the superlattice periodicity with the coherence length of charge carriers in perovskite oxide heterostructures are used to understand these observations. A filling-controlled insulator-metal transition was induced by placing a single dopant layer of SrVO3 within LaVO3 layers of varying thickness.
The electronic properties of SrRuO3/LaAlO3 (SRO/LAO) superlattices with different interlayer thicknesses of SRO layers were studied. As the thickness of SRO layers is reduced, the superlattices exhibit a metal-insulator transition implying transformation into a more localized state from its original bulk metallic state. The strain effect on the metal-insulator transition was also examined. The origin of the metal-insulator transition in ultrathin SRO film is discussed. All the superlattices, even those with SRO layers as thin as 2 unit cells, are ferromagnetic at low temperatures. Moreover, we demonstrate field effect devices based on such multilayer superlattice structures.
Contribution of d-electron to ferroelectricity of type-II multiferroics causes strong magneto-electric coupling and distinguishes them from the conventional type-I multiferroics. However, their therein polarization is too small because the ferroelectricity is merely a derivative from the magnetic order. Here we report a new class of multiferroic materials, monolayer VOX2 (X = Cl, Br, and I), which combine the advantages of type-I and type-II multiferroics. Both ferroelectricity and magnetism arise from the same V cation, where the filled d-orbital is perpendicular to an a priori ferroelectric polarization and thus poses no hindrance to ferroelectricity, indicating a violation of the usual d0 rule. This makes the combination of large polarizations and strong magneto-electric coupling possible. Our findings not only add new ferromagnetic-ferroelectric multiferroics, but also point to a unique mechanism to engineer multiferroics.