Driving magnetic domains at the nanoscale by interfacial strain-induced proximity. Issue 9 (26th February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Valmianski, Ilya; Rodríguez, Arantxa Fraile; Rodríguez-Álvarez, Javier; García del Muro, Montserrat; Wolowiec, Christian; Kronast, Florian; Ramírez, Juan Gabriel; Schuller, Ivan K.; Labarta, Amílcar; Batlle, Xavier
• Is Part Of: Nanoscale. Volume 13:Issue 9(2021)
• Page Start: 4985
• Page End: 4994
• Publication Date: 2021-02-26
• Subjects: Nanoscience -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; 620.505
• DOI: 10.1039/d0nr08253h
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-3364

Abstract

Abstract : Temperature-driven reorientation of magnetic domains in a thin Ni film across the structural phase transition of promixity-coupled V2 O3 layer, giving rise to large chances in the magnetic anisotropy of the Ni film, of relevance for straintronics. Abstract : We investigate the local nanoscale changes of the magnetic anisotropy of a Ni film subject to an inverse magnetostrictive effect by proximity to a V2 O3 layer. Using temperature-dependent photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) combined with X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), direct images of the Ni spin alignment across the first-order structural phase transition (SPT) of V2 O3 were obtained. We find an abrupt temperature-driven reorientation of the Ni magnetic domains across the SPT, which is associated with a large increase of the coercive field. Moreover, angular dependent ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) shows a remarkable change in the magnetic anisotropy of the Ni film across the SPT of V2 O3 . Micromagnetic simulations based on these results are in quantitative agreement with the PEEM data. Direct measurements of the lateral correlation length of the Ni domains from XMCD images show an increase of almost one order of magnitude at the SPT compared to room temperature, as well as a broad spatial distribution of the local transition temperatures, thus corroborating the phase coexistence of Ni anisotropies caused by the V2 O3 SPT. We show that the rearrangement of the Ni domains is due to strain induced by the oxide layers' structural domains across the SPT. Our results illustrate the use of alternative hybrid systems to manipulate magnetic domains at the nanoscale, which allows for engineering of coercive fields for novel data storage architectures.