Defect-induced exchange bias in a single SrRuO3 layer

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that helium ion irradiation can induce a large exchange bias in a single SrRuO3 layer by creating defects that lead to coexistence of magnetic phases, enabling control of spintronic properties in complex oxides.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of inducing large exchange bias in a single oxide layer through defect engineering via helium ion irradiation.

Findings

Large exchange bias field up to 0.36 T achieved

Defects suppress magnetization and Curie temperature

Metal-insulator transition occurs at low temperature

Abstract

Exchange bias stems from the interaction between different magnetic phases and therefore it generally occurs in magnetic multilayers. Here we present a large exchange bias in a single SrRuO3 layer induced by helium ion irradiation. When the fluence increases, the induced defects not only suppress the magnetization and the Curie temperature, but also drive a metal-insulator transition at a low temperature. In particular, a large exchange bias field up to around 0.36 T can be created by the irradiation. This large exchange bias is related to the coexistence of different magnetic and structural phases that are introduced by embedded defects. Our work demonstrates that spintronic properties in complex oxides can be created and enhanced by applying ion irradiation.