Multiferroic properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/CoFe2O4 composite thin films

In the present work we report multiferroic behavior in lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-cobalt iron oxide (CFO) composite thin films. It is found that upon annealing, the multilayered structures are intermixed at least partially, and CFO is phase separated into PZT matrix to form a composite film. The phase separation behavior has been characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiling of the constituent elements in conjunction with dielectric spectroscopy measurements. The composite films exhibited ferroelectric as well as ferromagnetic characteristics at room temperature. The coupling between the ferroelectric and the ferromagnetic order parameters has been demonstrated through the reduction of ferroelectric polarization when measured under an applied magnetic field. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.