Polarization enhancement and ferroelectric switching enabled by interacting magnetic structures in DyMnO3 thin films

Chengliang Lu, Shuai Dong, Zhengcai Xia, Hui Luo, Zhibo Yan, Haowen Wang, Zhaoming Tian, Songliu Yuan, Tao Wu, Junming Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

The mutual controls of ferroelectricity and magnetism are stepping towards practical applications proposed for quite a few promising devices in which multiferroic thin films are involved. Although ferroelectricity stemming from specific spiral spin ordering has been reported in highly distorted bulk perovskite manganites, the existence of magnetically induced ferroelectricity in the corresponding thin films remains an unresolved issue, which unfortunately halts this step. In this work, we report magnetically induced electric polarization and its remarkable response to magnetic field (an enhancement of ?800% upon a field of 2 Tesla at 2 K) in DyMnO3 thin films grown on Nb-SrTiO3 substrates. Accompanying with the large polarization enhancement, the ferroelectric coercivity corresponding to the magnetic chirality switching field is significantly increased. A picture based on coupled multicomponent magnetic structures is proposed to understand these features. Moreover, different magnetic anisotropy related to strain-suppressed GdFeO 3-type distortion and Jahn-Teller effect is identified in the films.
Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalScientific Reports
Volume3
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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