Yuki Hibino

Electric-field control of magnetic moment in Pd

Several magnetic properties have recently become tunable with an applied electric field. Particularly, electrically controlled magnetic phase transitions and/or magnetic moments have attracted attention because they are the most fundamental parameters in ferromagnetic materials. In this study, we showed that an electric field can be used to control the magnetic moment in films made of Pd, usually a non-magnetic element. Pd ultra-thin films were deposited on ferromagnetic Pt/Co layers. In the Pd layer, a ferromagnetically ordered magnetic moment was induced by the ferromagnetic proximity effect. By applying an electric field to the ferromagnetic surface of this Pd layer, a clear change was observed in the magnetic moment, which was measured directly using a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. The results indicate that magnetic moments extrinsically induced in non-magnetic elements by the proximity effect, as well as an intrinsically induced magnetic moments in ferromagnetic elements, as reported previously, are electrically tunable. The results of this study suggest a new avenue for answering the fundamental question of “can an electric field make naturally non-magnetic materials ferromagnetic?”

Control of magnetic anisotropy in Pt/Co system using ionic liquid gating

The magnetic anisotropy of the Pt/Co system under ionic liquid gating was studied. A comparison of results obtained using samples under the gating and those subjected to mild oxidization by oxygen plasma ashing suggested that the anodic oxidization of the Co layer could be one of the causes of the large modulation observed in the magnetic anisotropy. However, the charge accumulation effect was probably dominant when the Co layer was on the cathode side. The experiments presented here are expected to aid in elucidating the mechanism by which electric fields affect magnetism.

Dependence of Curie temperature on Pt layer thickness in Co/Pt system

The Pt thickness dependence of the Curie temperature of perpendicularly magnetized ultra-thin (Pt/)Co/Pt films has been investigated by magnetization measurements. The Curie temperature and the saturation magnetic moment increase with the Co layer thickness and even with the Pt layer thickness. The Curie temperature is found to have linear dependence on the total magnetic moment of the system and the coefficients of the linear fits are almost identical, regardless of whether the thicknesses of the ferromagnetic Co layer or the Pt layer are varied. The Curie temperature also increases with the magnetic anisotropy, but no systematic dependence is observed. These results suggest that the magnetic moment induced in the Pt layer by the ferromagnetic proximity effect plays a significant role in determining the Curie temperatures of such two-dimensional ferromagnetic systems.

Electric field modulation of magnetic anisotropy in perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co structure with a Pd top layer

We investigated the electric field effect on magnetic anisotropy in a perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co system with a top ultrathin layer of nonmagnetic Pd. By applying an electric field to the surface of the ferromagnetic Pd layer, we observed a clear modulation of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the system. This result shows that the magnetic anisotropy can be modulated by an electric field even when nonmagnetic Pd is inserted at the interface formed by the magnetic layer and insulator. The electric field effect of the proximity-induced moment in Pd might contribute to the anisotropy modulation.

Sign Reversal of Electric Field Effect on Coercivity in MgO/Co/Pt System

The authors have investigated the effect of film deposition conditions on the electric field modulation of the coercivity in a perpendicularly magnetized MgO/Co/Pt system. In samples with the MgO capping layer deposited using high rf-sputtering power, the direction of coercivity change caused by applying an electric field was opposite to that in the previous results on the same system. This result indicates that the film deposition condition can strongly affect the electrical control of magnetic properties.

Peculiar temperature dependence of electric-field effect on magnetic anisotropy in Co/Pd/MgO system

We report on the temperature dependence of the magnetic anisotropy in Co/Pd/MgO system, in which magnetic moment in Pd is induced by the magnetic proximity effect. We demonstrate that the magnetic anisotropy is modulated by applying an electric field to the Pd surface. At temperatures below 100 K, we find the nonlinear electric-field dependence of the anisotropy with the sign reversal. We obtain a huge anisotropy modulation efficiency of ∼1600 fJ/V m at 10 K.

Strain-induced reversible modulation of the magnetic anisotropy in perpendicularly magnetized metals deposited on a flexible substrate

In this study, the strain-induced change in the magnetic anisotropy of perpendicularly magnetized thin metals (TbFeCo and Pt/Co/Pt) deposited on a polyethylene naphthalate flexible substrate was investigated. The in-plane uniaxial tensile strain was reversibly applied up to 2%. The magnetic anisotropy was reversibly changed in both samples with applied stress. In the TbFeCo film, a marked change in magnetic anisotropy energy of 1.2 × 105 J/m3 was observed. In the Pt/Co/Pt film, where the thickness of Co was 2–4 monolayers, the stress-induced changes in interface and volume contributions to magnetic anisotropy were individually determined.

Enhancement of the spin-orbit torque in a Pt/Co system with a naturally oxidized Co layer

We investigated the effect of surface oxidation of a ferromagnetic Co layer on current-induced spin-orbit torque. A Co thin film was deposited on a Pt underlayer, for which the spin current was expected to be generated through the spin Hall effect. Both the damping- and field-like torques quantitatively determined using harmonic Hall voltage measurements were clearly enhanced in the sample with the naturally oxidized Co layer. Even though the oxidized system possessed a larger perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and nearly the same areal magnetization value, i.e., the same effective ferromagnetic thickness, as those of the unoxidized sample, the electrical current required for magnetization switching was greatly reduced. The results clearly show that surface oxidization of a ferromagnetic thin film deposited on a heavy metal layer plays an important role in enlarging spin-orbit torque.

Electric-field-induced on/off switching of the Faraday effect

We demonstrate that the Faraday effect can be electrically and reversibly switched on and off at room temperature without changing the external magnetic field. A Co ultrathin film deposited on a Pt underlayer was used for the demonstration. An electric field was applied to the surface of the Co film by forming an electric double layer using an ionic liquid. The switching of the Faraday effect was caused by the electric-field-induced ferromagnetic phase transition in the system. The magnitude of the electrical change in the Faraday rotation angle and the ellipticity are also discussed.

Erratum: Electric-field control of magnetic moment in Pd

Several magnetic properties have recently become tunable with an applied electric field. Particularly, electrically controlled magnetic phase transitions and/or magnetic moments have attracted attention because they are the most fundamental parameters in ferromagnetic materials. In this study, we showed that an electric field can be used to control the magnetic moment in films made of Pd, usually a non-magnetic element. Pd ultra-thin films were deposited on ferromagnetic Pt/Co layers. In the Pd layer, a ferromagnetically ordered magnetic moment was induced by the ferromagnetic proximity effect. By applying an electric field to the ferromagnetic surface of this Pd layer, a clear change was observed in the magnetic moment, which was measured directly using a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. The results indicate that magnetic moments extrinsically induced in non-magnetic elements by the proximity effect, as well as an intrinsically induced magnetic moments in ferromagnetic elements, as reported previously, are electrically tunable. The results of this study suggest a new avenue for answering the fundamental question of “can an electric field make naturally non-magnetic materials ferromagnetic?”