A model system for strain effects: epitaxial magnetic films on a piezoelectric substrate

Epitaxial magnetic oxide films can be reversibly strained on piezoelectric monocrystalline substrates of Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))(0.72)Ti(0.28)O(3)(PMN-PT). The magnetic film/piezoelectric substrate sample that undergoes well-defined biaxial, nearly linear strains exceeding 0.1% provides a model system for the inspection of strain-dependent magnetic properties which are exploited in many two-phase magnetoelectric multiferroics. We review the properties of the applied pseudocubic PMN-PT(001) substrates, and summarize results for the strain-dependent magnetization of ferromagnetic manganites (La, A)MnO(3) (A = Sr or Ca).