Magnetoelastic coupling in multilayered ferroelectric/ferromagnetic thin films: A quantitative evaluation

The electrical control of magnetization in a thin film, achieved by means of magnetoelastic coupling between a ferroelectric and a ferromagnetic layer represents an attractive way to implement magnetic information storage and processing within logical architectures known as Magnetic Quantum Cellular Automata (MQCA). Such systems have been addressed as multiferroics. We exploited cost-effective techniques to realize multi-layered multiferroic systems, such as sol-gel deposition and RF sputtering, introducing a specific technique to control the crystal structure and film roughness effect on the magnetic domain wall motion and reconfiguration, induced by magnetoelastic coupling, by evaluating the 2-dimensional statistical properties of enhanced MFM matrices. A RF sputtered 50-nm- thick Co layer on a Si/SiO2/Si3N4/Ti/Pt/PbTiO3/Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O-3 substrate was realized, exploiting two differently engineered PZT nano-crystalline structures and the conditions leading to a favorable compromise in order to realize functional devices were elucidated. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.