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Perpendicularly magnetized layers are essential for information storage to increase the storage density. Modulating perpendicular magnetization by an electric field offers a promising solution to lower energy consumption. Here, we demonstrate a remarkable electric field modulation of perpendicular magnetization in perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co/Ta ultrathin films on a ferroelectric substrate. By measuring the anomalous Hall effect under in situ electric fields, we observe a giant magnetoelectric effect with the large converse magnetoelectric coefficient of −2.1 × 10−6 s m−1 at H⊥ = −20 Oe and −0.9 × 10−6 s m−1 at H⊥ = 0 Oe, which is comparable to that in multiferroic heterostructures with in-plane magnetization. Additionally, Kerr imaging shows that electric fields observably affect magnetic domain structures of the Pt/Co/Ta ultrathin films indicating a giant magnetoelectric effect. We further measure in situ X-ray diffraction and X-ray reflectivity with electric fields, which suggests that this giant magnetoelectric effect is attributed to strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling and is closely related to electric-field-varied interface roughness. Our findings highlight the role of interface roughness in exploring electrical control of perpendicular magnetization.

Room-temperature skyrmions in magnetic multilayers are considered to be promising candidates for the next-generation spintronic devices. Several approaches have been developed to control skyrmions, but they either cause significant heat dissipation or require ultrahigh electric fields near the breakdown threshold. Here, we demonstrate electric-field control of skyrmions through strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling in ferromagnetic/ferroelectric multiferroic heterostructures. We show the process of non-volatile creation of multiple skyrmions, reversible deformation and annihilation of a single skyrmion by performing magnetic force microscopy with in situ electric fields. Strain-induced changes in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction strength are characterized experimentally. These experimental results, together with micromagnetic simulations, demonstrate that strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling (via strain-induced changes in both the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction is responsible for the observed electric-field control of skyrmions. Our work provides a platform to investigate electric-field control of skyrmions in multiferroic heterostructures and paves the way towards more energy-efficient skyrmion-based spintronics., The common approaches to control of skymions cause significant heat dissipation or require high electric fields near the breakdown threshold. Here, the authors demonstrate electric-field control of skyrmions through strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroic heterostructures.

With HfO2 filled into the microcavities of the porous single-crystal silicon, the blue photoluminescence was greatly enhanced at room temperature. On one hand, HfO2 contributes to the light emission with the transitions of the defect levels for oxygen vacancy. On the other hand, the special filling-into-microcavities structure of HfO2 leads to the presence of ferroelectricity, which greatly enhances the blue emission from porous silicon. Since both HfO2 and Si are highly compatible with Si-based electronic industry, combined the low-cost and convenient process, the HfO2-filled porous Si shows a promising application prospect.

With HfO2 filled into the microcavities of the porous single-crystal silicon, the blue photoluminescence was greatly enhanced at room temperature. On one hand, HfO2 contributes to the light emission with the transitions of the defect levels for oxygen vacancy. On the other hand, the special filling-into-microcavities structure of HfO2 leads to the presence of ferroelectricity, which greatly enhances the blue emission from porous silicon. Since both HfO2 and Si are highly compatible with Si-based electronic industry, combined the low-cost and convenient process, the HfO2-filled porous Si shows a promising application prospect.

Greatly improved resistance performance, including high resistance ratio between the high resistance state and the low resistance state, long-time retention, and reliable endurance, was observed in TiN/Si:HfO2/oxygen-deficient HfO2/TiN memory cells. The enhanced resistance ratio is ascribed to the creation/elimination of an extra barrier in oxygen-deficient HfO2 layer in response to the polarization reversal in the ferroelectric Si:HfO2 layer. Along with the enhanced resistance ratio, the long retention and good endurance make the proposed device a promising candidate for non-volatile resistive memories.

Greatly enhanced blue emission was observed at room temperature in the single-crystal silicon with HfO2 filled into its microcavities. The broad blue band light was emitted from both the HfO2 dielectric and the porous Si. The ferroelectricity of HfO2 enhances the blue emission from Si by its filling into the microcaivities. At the same time, HfO2 contributes to the light emission for the transitions of the defect levels for oxygen vacancy. The observation of greatly enhanced blue light emission of the porous Si filled with HfO2 dielectric is remarkable as both HfO2 and Si are highly compatible with Si-based electronic industry.

Resistive switching (RS) of Ti/HfO2/Pt memory devices was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Hf4+ monotonously decreases with depth increasing towards to HfO2/Pt interface in low resistance state, while a fluctuation distribution of Hf4+ is shown in high resistance state (HRS) and in the pristine Ti/HfO2/Pt devices (without any SET or RESET process). It is explained by the existence of locally accumulated oxygen vacancies (clusters) in the oxide bulk layer in HRS and pristine states. A dynamic model of RS processes was proposed that the oxygen vacancy clusters dominantly determines the resistivity by the connecting/rupture between the neighbor cluster sites in the bulk.