Giant Magnetoelectric Effect via Strain-Induced Spin-Reorientation Transitions in Ferromagnetic Films

TL;DR

This paper theoretically demonstrates that strain-induced spin-reorientation transitions in ferromagnetic films can produce a giant magnetoelectric effect, with susceptibilities exceeding 10^-6 s/m, in ferromagnetic/ferroelectric systems.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical model showing how strain-driven spin reorientation can lead to large magnetoelectric effects in epitaxial ferromagnetic films.

Findings

Magnetoelectric susceptibility can surpass 10^-6 s/m.

Spin-reorientation transitions occur at accessible misfit strains.

Giant magnetoelectric effects are achievable in CoFe2O4 and Ni films.

Abstract

It is shown theoretically that a giant magnetoelectric susceptibility exceeding 10^-6 s/m may be achieved in the ferromagnetic/ferroelectric epitaxial systems via the magnetization rotation induced by an electric field applied to the substrate. The predicted magnetoelectric anomaly results from the strain-driven spin-reorientation transitions in ferromagnetic films, which take place at experimentally accessible misfit strains in CoFe2O4 and Ni films.