Controlling the Magneto-Optical Response in Ultrathin Films of EuO1-x via Interface Engineering with Ferroelectric BaTi2O5

Utilizing pulsed laser deposition, a film of EuO1-x was deposited onto a Si(001) substrate with MgO buffer and compared to the same heterostructure with an additional BaTi2O5 thin film on top of the EuO1-x surface. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates the films crystallize into a preferred EuO(111) orientation; it also reveals the clear presence of EuSi2, which suggests Si or Eu diffuses across the MgO buffer layer. EuO1-x films exhibit a ferromagnetic (FM) signature and temperature-dependent exchange bias, indicated by MOKE measurements, suggesting the presence of a magnetic order well above the EuO Curie temperature with possible origins in charge carrier density near the interface. In comparison, an antiferromagnetic character persists well above the EuO Curie temperature of 69 K and the enhanced Curie temperature of 150 K for BaTi2O5 films grown on the EuO1-x films. The antiferromagnetic behavior is not seen in thicker EuO1-x thin films when integrated with other ferroelectric (FE) phases of the BaO-TiO2 system, suggesting an origin in the perturbed charge population at the BaTi2O5/EuO1-x interface.

Automated summary

Using pulsed laser deposition, a EuO1-x film was deposited on a Si(001) substrate with a MgO buffer, and compared to a heterostructure with an additional BaTi2O5 film on top of the EuO1-x surface. XRD analysis showed that the films had a preferred EuO(111) orientation and the presence of EuSi2, suggesting diffusion of Si or Eu across the MgO buffer layer. The EuO1-x films exhibited a ferromagnetic signature and temperature-dependent exchange bias, while the BaTi2O5 films showed an antiferromagnetic behavior, indicating an origin at the BaTi2O5/EuO1-x interface.