Microwave tunability in a GaAs-based multiferroic heterostructure: Co2MnAl/GaAs/PMN-PT

A strong magnetoelectric (ME) interaction is presented in a magnetostrictive-semiconductor-piezoelectric heterostructure that consists of the Huesler alloy, Co2MnAl, GaAs, and lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT). The laminated Co2MnAl/GaAs/PMN-PT structure, having a thickness of 19 nm/180 mu m/500 mu m, demonstrates a ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) field shift of 28 Oe with an external electric field of 200 V across the PMN-PT substrate. This corresponds to a resonance frequency shift of similar to 125 MHz at X-band. It yields a large ME coupling (7 Oe cm/kV) and microwave tunability (similar to 32 MHz/kV cm(-1)), compared to other trilayer multiferroic composite structures. In addition, static magnetization measurement indicates a reduction in the remanence magnetization while applying the electric field, which corroborates the ME interactions mediated by the translation of magnetoelastic forces in this structure. This work explores the potential of multiferroic heterostrucuture transducers for use in FMR microwave devices tuned by electric fields. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3068543]