Temperature dependence of the magnetoelectric effect in Pb ( Zr 0.2 Ti 0.8 ) O 3 / La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 multiferroic heterostructures

• Published in: Applied physics letters 2010-07, Vol.97 (4), p.042506-042506-3
• Main Authors: Vaz, C. A. F., Segal, Y., Hoffman, J., Grober, R. D., Walker, F. J., Ahn, C. H.
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.3472259

The magnetoelectric response of Pb ( Zr 0.2 Ti 0.8 ) O 3 / La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 (PZT/LSMO) artificial multiferroic heterostructures as a function of temperature, electric, and magnetic field, shows that the largest magnetoelectric coupling is attained at temperatures near the magnetic critical point of LSMO, at ∼ 180   K ( − 13.5   Oe cm kV − 1 ) . The magnetoelectric coupling displays a strong temperature dependence, changing sign at 150 K and saturating to positive values below ∼ 100   K ( + 6   Oe cm kV − 1 ) . The magnetoelectric curve switches hysteretically between two states in response to the ferroelectric switching. The peak in the magnetoelectric response coincides with the observation of on/off switching of magnetism in LSMO near the critical region, where the sensitivity to electric field is largest, making it a promising approach for device applications.