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This study investigates the electric-field effect on magnetic moments in perpendicularly magnetized Co ultra-thin films on a Pt underlayer. By applying electric fields to the Co surface through MgO/HfO2 insulating layers, we determined the change in the magnetic moment per one electrically increased electron. From systematic experiments at temperatures much below the Curie temperature, we found that the sign and the magnitude of the change depend on the nominal Co thickness tCo: the change nearly equals to −1 μB/electron for tCo ∼ 0.45 nm and more than +1 μB/electron at tCo ∼ 0.2 nm. The former value is consistent with the expectation from the celebrated Slater–Pauling curve. The latter value implies that one needs to consider some effects characteristic to Pt/Co system with extremely small tCo. The calculated band structures suggest that the intermixing between Co and Pt is related to the observed deviation from the Slater–Pauling curve with decreasing tCo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of a Co (0.5 nm)/Pt (2.4 nm) bilayer film was electrostatically tuned using a high-κ dielectric, SrTiO3, with a back-gating configuration. The Co film was directly deposited onto a SrTiO3 (001) substrate and capped by a Pt layer. The coercivity was enhanced (reduced) by applying a positive (negative) gate bias. The efficiency of the PMA energy modulation by the electric field was determined to be 1300-23 100 fJ/V m, which is 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than the efficiencies obtained in previous studies. The superior efficiency of this system is most likely attributable to the large dielectric constant of the SrTiO3 gate insulator and could be evidence that the PMA energy modulation is induced by charge accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electric field (EF) effect on the magnetic domain structure of a Pt/Co system was studied, where an EF was applied to the top surface of the Co layer. The width of the maze domain was significantly modified by the application of the EF at a temperature slightly below the Curie temperature. After a detailed analysis, a change in the microscopic exchange stiffness induced by the EF application was suggested to dominate the modulation of the domain width observed in the experiment. The accumulation of electrons at the surface of the Co layer resulted in an increase in the microscopic exchange stiffness and the Curie temperature. The result was consistent with the recent theoretical prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetization switching induced by electric fields in the absence of external magnetic field has been demonstrated in a field effect structure with a (Ga,Mn)As layer having an in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The switching is related to the modulation of the in-plane magnetic anisotropy by electric fields. Reducing magnetic anisotropy energy height by electric fields, we observe stochastic magnetization switching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we review the recent experimental developments on electric-field switching of ferromagnetism in ultra-thin Co films. The application of an electric field changes the electron density at the surface of the Co film, which results in modulation of its Curie temperature. A capacitor structure consisting of a gate electrode, a solid-state dielectric insulator and a Co bottom electrode is used to observe the effect. To obtain a larger change in the electron density, we also fabricated an electric double-layer capacitor structure using an ionic liquid. A large change in the Curie temperature of ~100K across room temperature is achieved with this structure. The application of the electric field influences not only the Curie temperature but also the domain-wall motion. A change in the velocity of a domain wall prepared in a Co micro-wire of more than one order of magnitude is observed. Possible mechanisms to explain the above-mentioned electric-field effects in Co ultra-thin films are discussed. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional semiconductor devices use electric fields to control conductivity, a scalar quantity, for information processing. In magnetic materials, the direction of magnetization, a vector quantity, is of fundamental importance. In magnetic data storage, magnetization is manipulated with a current-generated magnetic field (Oersted–Ampère field), and spin current is being studied for use in non-volatile magnetic memories. To make control of magnetization fully compatible with semiconductor devices, it is highly desirable to control magnetization using electric fields. Conventionally, this is achieved by means of magnetostriction produced by mechanically generated strain through the use of piezoelectricity. Multiferroics have been widely studied in an alternative approach where ferroelectricity is combined with ferromagnetism. Magnetic-field control of electric polarization has been reported in these multiferroics using the magnetoelectric effect, but the inverse effect—direct electrical control of magnetization—has not so far been observed. Here we show that the manipulation of magnetization can be achieved solely by electric fields in a ferromagnetic semiconductor, (Ga,Mn)As. The magnetic anisotropy, which determines the magnetization direction, depends on the charge carrier (hole) concentration in (Ga,Mn)As. By applying an electric field using a metal–insulator–semiconductor structure, the hole concentration and, thereby, the magnetic anisotropy can be controlled, allowing manipulation of the magnetization direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demonstrates electric-field control of ferromagnetism in a thin-film semiconducting alloy, using an insulating-gate field-effect transistor structure. Ability to vary isothermally and reversibly the transition temperature of hole-induced ferromagnetism which is demonstrated; Methods of the study.

The electric field effect on magnetization properties and Curie temperature of Co ultra-thin films has been investigated. An electric field is applied to a Co film by using an electric double layer (EDL) formed in a polymer film containing an ionic liquid. The change in the Curie temperature is ∼100 K by applying the gate voltage of ±2 V, suggesting that the observed large modifications of magnetization properties are attributed to the significant change in the Curie temperature, which is induced by a large amount of carrier density control due to the formation of the EDL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical anisotropy modulation was recently observed in ferromagnetic semiconductors and metals. The authors have investigated magnetization switching through magnetic anisotropy modulation induced by external electric field by means of simulation. Macrospin simulation using Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation shows that switching is possible by controlling magnetic anisotropy for appropriate sets of parameters. The condition for quasistatic magnetization switching is also presented, in which magnetization direction is determined to minimize the magnetic free energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have fabricated electric double layer transistors with a (Ga,Mn)As channel to investigate the possibility of larger modulation of magnetism by the application of electric fields. The sheet conductance as well as the Curie temperature can be modulated up to a few tens of percents by application of gate voltage of a few volts, which is almost one-order of magnitude smaller than that required in conventional metal-insulator-semiconductor structures. The 14 K modulation of the Curie temperature by applying gate voltage ranging from -1 to 3 V is the highest modulation ratio reported so far in ferromagnetic semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the electric field (EF) effect on magnetism in a Co thin film with a naturally oxidized surface. The EF was applied to the oxidized Co surface through a gate insulator layer made of HfO2, which was formed using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The efficiency of the EF effect on the magnetic anisotropy in the sample with the HfO2 layer deposited at the appropriate temperature for the ALD process was relatively large compared to the previously reported values with an unoxidized Co film. The coercivity promptly and reversibly followed the variation in gate voltage. The modulation of the channel resistance was at most ∼0.02%. In contrast, a dramatic change in the magnetic properties including the large change in the saturation magnetic moment and a much larger EF-induced modulation of the channel resistance (∼10%) were observed in the sample with a HfO2 layer deposited at a temperature far below the appropriate temperature range. The response of these properties to the gate voltage was very slow, suggesting that a redox reaction dominated the EF effect on the magnetism in this sample. The frequency response for the capacitive properties was examined to discuss the difference in the mechanism of the EF effect observed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the effect of electric field (EF) on the coercivity of two Pt/Co structures with different Co layer thicknesses. Opposite signs of the coercivity change by the gate voltage application are observed in these samples, whereas the sign of the magnetic anisotropy change is the same. We performed direct observations of the domain structures during magnetization reversal under the gate voltage and found that two samples showed significant differences in the reversal process and EF effect. This result indicates that the sign reversal of the electric field effect on coercivity observed in the present structures originates from the difference in the macroscopic magnetization reversal process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 57 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of a Co (0.5 nm)/Pt (2.4 nm) bilayer film was electrostatically tuned using a high-κ dielectric, SrTiO3, with a back-gating configuration. The Co film was directly deposited onto a SrTiO3 (001) substrate and capped by a Pt layer. The coercivity was enhanced (reduced) by applying a positive (negative) gate bias. The efficiency of the PMA energy modulation by the electric field was determined to be 1300-23 100 fJ/V m, which is 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than the efficiencies obtained in previous studies. The superior efficiency of this system is most likely attributable to the large dielectric constant of the SrTiO3 gate insulator and could be evidence that the PMA energy modulation is induced by charge accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]