Simultaneous imaging of the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric structure in multiferroic heterostructures

J. Unguris; S. R. Bowden; D. T. Pierce; M. Trassin; R. Ramesh; S.-W. Cheong; S. Fackler; I. Takeuchi

doi:10.1063/1.4890055

APL Materials (Jul 2014)

Simultaneous imaging of the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric structure in multiferroic heterostructures

J. Unguris,
S. R. Bowden,
D. T. Pierce,
M. Trassin,
R. Ramesh,
S.-W. Cheong,
S. Fackler,
I. Takeuchi

Affiliations

J. Unguris: Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
S. R. Bowden: Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
D. T. Pierce: Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
M. Trassin: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
R. Ramesh: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
S.-W. Cheong: Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
S. Fackler: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
I. Takeuchi: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4890055
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 2, no. 7
pp. 076109 – 076109-7

Abstract

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By measuring the spin polarization of secondary electrons and the intensity of backscattered electrons generated in a scanning electron microscope, we are able to simultaneously image the ferromagnetic domain structure of a ferromagnetic thin film and the ferroelectric domain structure of the underlying ferroelectric substrate upon which it is grown. Simultaneous imaging allows straightforward, quantitative measurements of the correlations in these complex multiferroic systems. We have successfully imaged domains in CoFe/BFO and Fe/BTO, two systems with very different ferromagnet/ferroelectric coupling mechanisms, demonstrating how this technique provides a new local probe of magneto electric/strictive effects in multiferroic heterostructures.

Published in APL Materials

ISSN: 2166-532X (Online)
Publisher: AIP Publishing LLC
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Technology: Chemical technology: Biotechnology; Science: Physics
Website: http://aplmaterials.aip.org

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