Magnetoelectric effect in thin-film magnetostriction-piezoelectric structures grown on a substrate

The theory of the magnetoelectric effect in a thin magnetoelectric film-passive substrate structure is presented. Based on the simultaneous solution of the constitutive equations and the equations of motion for the film and substrate, the dispersion law has been derived for elastic waves propagating in the sample plane. It has been shown that the elastic vibrations in the substrate propagate in a near-surface layer if the velocity of propagation of elastic vibrations in the substrate is higher than that in the magnetoelectric film. In this case, the substrate thickness almost does not influence the magnitude of the effect.     

Magnetoelectric effect in multilayer ferromagnetic-piezoelectric structures and its application in electronics

Magnetoelectric effect in multilayer structures composed of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric layers, materials and technologies used to fabricate these structures, and the results of studying the magnetoelectric effect in them are considered. Magnetic field sensors, transformers, and voltage generators based on the magnetoelectric effect in multilayer structures are described.     

Magnetoelectric effect in samarium molybdate

This paper reports on the nonlinear magnetoelectric effect (MEE) in the orthorhombic ferroelectric ferroelastic β′ phase of samarium molybdate Sm₂(MoO₄)₃ observed in magnetic fields up to 20 T and temperatures from 4.4 to 0.43 K. The magnetic-field-induced electric polarization in Sm₂(MoO₄)₃ is an order of magnitude larger than that in isomorphic Gd₂(MoO₄)₃. This provides support for the magnetostriction mechanism proposed by us for the MEE in rare-earth molybdates. The polarization in Sm₂(MoO₄)₃ was found to fall off with time. The relaxation time constant τ increases with decreasing temperature from τ=10² s at T=4.4 K to τ≈10³ s at T=0.43 K.     

Magnetoelectric effect in antiferromagnetic crystals

Magnetoelectric experiments provide information on spin configurations, critical indices and microscopic ionic interactions. The basic theory of the magnetoelectric effect in antiferromagnets is rederived in this article and extended to situations in which there is an external magnetic field including the spin-flop phase. It is found that measurements of the magnetoelectric tensor α as a function of field in the antiferromagnetic and spin-flop phases of an antiferromagnet can provide more complete information in all three categories above. Certain higher-order terms are examined and it is found that it is possible to measure the staggered susceptibility directly in magnetoelectric materials. It is shown that a non-zero value of α causes a tetragonal antiferromagnet to be optically biaxial. A pedagogical discussion of the origins of magnetoelectric effects is given in the Appendix.     

Proximity effect and spontaneous vortex phase in planar SF structures

The proximity effect in SF structures is examined. It is shown that, due to the oscillations of the induced superconducting order parameter in a ferromagnet, the critical temperature of an SF bilayer becomes minimal when the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer is close to a quarter of the period of spatial oscillations. It is found that the spontaneous vortex state arising in the superconductor due to the proximity of the magnetic domain structure of a ferromagnet brings about noticeable magnetoresistive effects.     

Magnetoelectric effect in one-dimensional metallic conductors

The effect of a transverse magnetic field on a one-dimensional metallic current carrying conductor is considered. The field produces a transverse electric polarization which is wavevector dependent, and which causes a transverse magnetoelectric field. The magnitude of the effect is estimated for typical one dimensional conductors.     

Magnetoelectric effect in a magnetostrictive-piezoelectric bilayer structure

The results of theoretical and experimental investigations of the magnetoelectric effect in a magnetostrictive-piezoelectric bilayer structure have been presented. The expression for the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient in the region of electromechanical resonance has been derived based on the joint solution of the equations of motion for the magnetostrictive and piezoelectric media and the constitutive relations. The dependence of the magnitude of the effect on the thickness of the ferrite and piezoelectric layers has been analyzed. The experimental results for nickel-lead zirconate-titanate bilayer structures have been reported. The theoretical results agree perfectly with the experimental data.     

Magnetoelectric effect in layered composites with arc shape

Magnetoelectric (ME) layered Ni/PZT/Ni composites with arc shape have been prepared by using electroless deposition. The ME effect is measured by applying both constant and alternating magnetic fields in longitudinal and transverse directions. The longitudinal ME voltage coefficient is much larger than the transverse one. With the increase of arc length or decrease of curvature, the resonance frequency of layered arc Ni/PZT/Ni composites gradually decreases, while the maximum of the ME voltage coefficient of the composites increases monotonously. The influence of the arc length and the curvature on ME coupling is discussed. The flat interface between the ferromagnetic and the piezoelectric phases in layered ME composites is believed to provide large ME voltage coefficient.     

Magnetoelectric effect in multiferroic NdMn_2O_5

We have measured the dielectric constant for NdMn_2O_5 in an external magnetic field to map out the magnetoelectric phase diagram. The phase diagram corresponds well with the previously reported data of neutron diffraction and magnetic susceptibility. Our main finding is the observation of a dielectric anomaly in the low temperature phase with a strong magnetoelectric effect, which is attributed to the independent Nd~(3+) ordering. Moreover, the absence of the dielectric anomaly in the paramagnetic phase is discussed, keeping in view the exchange interaction and its dependence on the rareearth R~(3+) ionic radius.     

Magnetoelectric effect in an asymmetric layered magnet-piezoelectric structure

The magnetoelectric effect in magnet-piezoelectric layered composite structures is discussed. The magnetoelectric voltage and the magnetoelectric coefficient are calculated taking into account bending deformations that accompany tensile and compressive strains in structures with asymmetric positions of magnetic layers relative to the neutral plane. It is demonstrated that bending deformations lead to a nonuniform distribution of the electric field over the thickness of the piezoelectric layer and to a nonmonotonic dependence of the magnetoelectric coefficient on the thickness ratio of the layers in the structure.     

Large planar Hall effect in perpendicularly magnetized W/CoFeB/MgO structures

The planar Hall effect (PHE) in W/CoFeB/MgO structure with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy was investigated as a function of CoFeB thickness (t_CoFeB). The PHE is measured by sweeping the in-plane magnetic field at various azimuthal angles as well as by rotating strong magnetic field which is enough to saturate the magnetization. We observed a huge PHE in the W/CoFeB/MgO sample, which is even larger than anomalous Hall effect (AHE). This is distinct from the results in Ta/CoFeB/MgO samples showing a much smaller PHE than AHE. Since the PHE is insensitive to the t_CoFeB while the AHE is proportional to the t_CoFeB, the unprecedented PHE can be attributed to the W layer with a large spin-orbit coupling.     

Nonlinearity of magnetoacoustic excitations in planar structures

This paper reports on the results of experimental investigations into the threshold power of the onset of nonlinearity of magnetoacoustic vibrations in planar structures (such as a ferrite film-dielectric substrate structure) in the range of phase matching of the higher bulk magnetostatic and acoustic modes. Under the experimental conditions, the wavelength of the higher bulk magnetostatic modes is of the order of 1 μm and shorter. On this basis, the energy of these vibrations with respect to the origin of the magnetostatic wave spectrum is determined by the energy of the inhomogeneous exchange interaction. The standing magnetoacoustic waves are examined in conventional yttrium iron garnet films with free surface spins in which, under standard conditions, only dipole magnetostatic vibrations are excited in planar resonators. Consideration is given to the threshold power of the onset of precession instability of the dipole exchange acoustic modes which, as was shown earlier by the authors, are excited in the range of the phase matching of the exchange and acoustic modes. A comparative analysis is performed for the threshold powers of dipole magnetostatic, exchange acoustic, and dipole exchange acoustic modes. It is demonstrated that the threshold power of the instability of magnetostatic modes decreases significantly when the natural frequencies of the dipole modes coincide with those of the exchange acoustic modes. __________ Translated from Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 44, No. 7, 2002, pp. 1285–1289. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2002 by Bugaev, Gorsky.     

Memory effect in MIS structures with amorphous silicon nanoparticles embedded in ultra thin SiOx matrix

Metal/${\mathrm{SiO}}_2$/a-Si-${\mathrm{SiO}}_x$/c-Si structures containing amorphous silicon nanoparticles (a-Si NPs) embedded in ultra thin ${\mathrm{SiO}}_x$ matrix are fabricated by thermal evaporation of ${\mathrm{SiO}}_x$ and sputtering of ${\mathrm{SiO}}_2$ layers followed by thermal annealing at $700{}^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$. A memory effect, due to charging of a-Si NPs in ${\mathrm{SiO}}_x$, is observed. The processes of NP charging and discharging are accomplished by applying pulses with alternative polarities. The observed shift of the flat band voltage of the high-frequency C–V curve caused by a voltage pulse of $-15\mathrm{V}$ having duration of 1 s is more than 3 V. In addition, the structures show good retention characteristics which make them promising for application in non-volatile memory devices.     

Magnetoelectric effect in bilayer magnetostrictive-piezoelectric structure. Theory and experiment

Bilayer magnetostrictive-piezoelectric structures have certain advantages compared to bulk composites and this allows us to consider them as perspective materials for the development of devices based on the magnetoelectric effect. The theory of magnetoelectric effect in bilayer magnetostrictive-piezoelectric structure is presented taking into account the thickness dependence amplitude of the mechanical oscillations for the structures in form of rectangular plate. The equation for frequency dependence of the ME effect in the region on the electromechanical resonance was obtained, using motion equation, elastodynamics and electrostatic equations for the magnetostrictive, piezoelectric phases and taking into account the boundary conditions on the interface. The cases of longitudinal and transverse orientations of the electric and magnetic fields were considered. It is shown that the thickness dependence of the ME voltage coefficient has the maximum. The dependence between frequency and the thickness ratio of the layers is presented for both the theory and experiment.     

Vibration analysis of planar serial-frame structures

A hybrid analytical/numerical method is proposed that permits the efficient dynamic analysis of planar serial-frame structures. The method utilizes a numerical implementation of a transfer matrix solution to the equation of motion. By analyzing the transverse and longitudinal motions of each segment simultaneously and considering the compatibility requirements across each frame angle, the undetermined variables of the entire frame structure system can be reduced to six which can be determined by application of the boundary conditions. The main feature of this method is to decrease the dimensions of the matrix involved in the finite element methods and certain other analytical methods.     

Nucleation of quasi-crystalline and amorphous structures

Summary The structural characteristics of quasi-crystalline phases obtained by ion irradiation are compared with those of the corresponding amorphous structures. Chemical forces drive the formation of atomic clusters and their spatial organization under specific geometric constraints. The same elementary structural units exist in quasi-crystalline and glassy phases which display identical local order, their main difference being the degree of defect organization at the interface between locally ordered atomic groups. To speed up publication, the author of this paper has agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

The microscope structures of amorphous phosphorus

The microscopic structures of thin films of amorphous phosphorus have been investigated by Raman scattering. The thin films were deposited by vacuum evaporation at substrate temperatures T_s between 300 and 510K. The Raman spectra of the films were compared with vibrational spectra of different allotropes of phosphorus: orthohombic black P, bulk amorphous red P and Hittorf's P. The structure of the films with T_s ? 300K is built up of double layers similar to those of orthorhombic black P. For T_s?510K the thin films have a structure similar to bulk amorphous red P based on the pentagonal tubes of Hittorf's P. A continuous transformation from one structure to the other is indicated by the Raman spectra of the films at intermediate T_s. The Raman measurements support early determinations of the structures of amorphous phosphorus inferred from radial distribution functions.     

Field emission rate in planar powder electroluminescent structures

The intensity of electroluminescence from an electroluminescent phosphor (electrophosphor) excited by unipolar voltage pulses with a linear front is studied. Based on experimental data, an expression for the free carrier emission rate in a planar electroluminescent capacitor with the polarization mechanism of luminescence is derived.