Onset of multiferroicity in prototypical single spin cycloid BiFeO 3 thin films
Résumé
In the room-temperature magnetoelectric multiferroic, BiFeO3, the non-collinear antiferromagnetic state is coupled to the ferroelectric order, opening applications for low-power electric-field-controlled magnetic devices. While several strategies have been explored to simplify the ferroelectric landscape, here we directly stabilize a single domain ferroelectric and spin cycloid state in epitaxial BiFeO3(111) thin films grown on orthorhombic DyScO3(011). Comparing with films grown on SrTiO3(111), we identify anisotropic in-plane strain as a powerful handle to tailor the single antiferromagnetic state. In this single domain multiferroic state, we establish the thickness limit of the coexisting electric and magnetic orders and directly visualize the suppression of the spin cycloid induced by the magnetoelectric interaction below the ultrathin limit of 1.4 nanometers. This as-grown single domain multiferroic configuration in BiFeO3 thin films opens an avenue both for fundamental investigations and for electrically-controlled non-collinear antiferromagnetic spintronics.
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