Increasing the Neel temperature of magnetoelectric chromia for voltage-controlled spintronics

Authors

• M Street, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• W Echtenkamp, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Takashi Komesu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Shi Cao, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Peter A. Dowben, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Christian Binek, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2014

Citation

APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 104 (2014)

Comments

Copyright 2014 Used by permission

Abstract

Boron doped chromia (Cr₂O₃) thin films with substitutional doping levels between zero and 3% are grown using pulsed laser deposition in borane background gases. Magnetometry reveals a tunable increase in the Neel temperature of the (0001) textured Cr₂B_xO_3-x thin films at a rate of about 10% with 1% oxygen site substitution preserving a net boundary magnetization. Spin resolved inverse photoemission measured after magnetoelectric annealing in subsequently reversed electric fields evidences voltage-controlled reversal of boundary magnetization and thus magnetoelectricity of Cr₂B_xO_3-x. Conservation of magnetoelectricity far above room temperature makes ultra-low power voltage-controlled spintronic devices feasible.