Tunable Magnetic Properties in SrRuO3/BiFeO3 Heterostructures via Electric Field

Tailoring the magnetism of multiferroic perovskite oxide heterostructures is vital for endowing spintronic devices with high density, small size, and low power consumption. In this work, the magnetism involving the magnetic moment and magnetic anisotropy of SrRuO3 (SRO)/BiFeO3 (BFO) heterostructures with different stacking patterns and electric field strengths is studied using first-principles calculations. It is found that the magnetic moments of part of the Ru atoms in SRO/BFO heterostructures can change from positive to negative with changes in the electric field strength. The inversion of the Ru magnetic moment induces a large magnetoelectric coupling strength of 1.31 x 10(-10) G cm(2)/V. In addition, the SRO/BFO heterostructures show perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). The magnitude of PMA significantly changes with different stacking patterns and electric field strengths. These results suggest that the stacking pattern and the electric field strength are effective methods to modulate the magnetism in multiferroic perovskite oxide heterostructures, which is beneficial to promote the development of high-performance spintronic devices.

Automated summary

The study shows that the magnetic moments of Ru atoms in SrRuO3/BiFeO3 heterostructures can change from positive to negative with variations in electric field strength, leading to a large magnetoelectric coupling strength. Additionally, the heterostructures exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy which significantly varies with different stacking patterns and electric field strengths.