Competition Between Exchange and Magnetostatic Energies in Domain Pattern Transfer from BaTiO$_3$(111) to Ni Thin Film

TL;DR

This study investigates how exchange and magnetostatic energies compete to influence magnetic domain patterns in a Ni film transferred from a BaTiO3 substrate, revealing the role of interfacial strain and inverse magnetostriction.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of exchange and magnetostatic energy competition on magnetic domain configurations in a multiferroic heterostructure, combining experimental microscopy with micromagnetic simulations.

Findings

Uniaxial in-plane magnetic anisotropy rotates by 60° between stripe regions.

Two types of magnetic domain walls can be initialized.

Energy competition strongly influences magnetic domain structure.

Abstract

We use spin polarized low energy electron microscopy to investigate domain pattern transfer in a multiferroic heterostructure consisting of a $(111)$-oriented BaTiO$_{\mathrm{3}}$ substrate and an epitaxial Ni film. After in-situ thin film deposition and annealing through the ferroelectric phase transition, interfacial strain transfer from ferroelastic domains in the substrate and inverse magnetostriction in the magnetic thin film introduce a uniaxial in-plane magnetic anisotropy that rotates by $60^{\circ}$ between alternating stripe regions. We show that two types of magnetic domain wall can be initialized in principle. Combining experimental results with micromagnetic simulations we show that a competition between the exchange and magnetostatic energies in these domain walls have a strong influence on the magnetic domain configuration.