Tailoring of ferromagnetic Pr0.85Ca0.15MnO3/ferroelectric Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 superlattices for multiferroic properties

Superlattices composed of ferromagnetic Pr0.85Ca0.15MnO3 and ferroelectric Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 layers were fabricated on (100) SrTiO3 substrates by a pulsed-laser deposition method. The capacitance and resistive parts of the samples were analyzed from the complex impedance measurements. The superlattice with larger ferroelectric thickness shows unique characteristics which are not present in the parent ferromagnetic thin film. The superlattice shows both ferromagnetic and ferroelectric transitions which is an evidence for the coexistence of both the properties. The high magnetoresistance (40% at 80 K) shown by the superlattice can be attributed to the coupling between ferromagnetic and ferroelectric layers, i.e., to the magnetoelectric effect. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.