Domain‑wall magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroic hexagonal YbFeO₃ films

Authors

Xin Li, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Yu Yun, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Arashdeep Singh Thind, Washington University in St. Louis
Yuewei Yin, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Qiang Li, Fudan University
Wenbin Wang, Fudan University
Alpha T. N’Diaye, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Corbyn Mellinger, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Xuanyuan Jiang
Rohan Mishra, Washington University in St. Louis,
Xiaoshan S. Xu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

1-31-2023

Citation

Scientific Reports | (2023) 13:1755 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28365-x

Comments

Open access.

Abstract

Electrical modulation of magnetic states in single-phase multiferroic materials, using domain-wall magnetoelectric (ME) coupling, can be enhanced substantially by controlling the population density of the ferroelectric (FE) domain walls during polarization switching. In this work, we investigate the domain-wall ME coupling in multiferroic h-YbFeO₃ thin films, in which the FE domain walls induce clamped antiferromagnetic (AFM) domain walls with reduced magnetization magnitude. Simulation according to the phenomenological theory indicates that the domain-wall ME effect is dramatically enhanced when the separation between the FE domain walls shrinks below the characteristic width of the clamped AFM domain walls during the ferroelectric switching. Experimentally, we show that while the magnetization magnitude remains same for both the positive and the negative saturation polarization states, there is evidence of magnetization reduction at the coercive voltages. These results suggest that the domain-wall ME effect is viable for electrical control of magnetization.