Dynamic electromagnonic crystal based on artificial multiferroic heterostructure

One of the main challenges for the modern magnonics, which, as opposed to the conventional electronics, operates with quanta of spin waves in magnetically ordered materials—magnons—is energy efficient control of magnon transport on small time and space scales. The magnon propagation in a time-dependent periodic spatial potentials—dynamic magnonic crystals—paves a way to this aim. To date, dynamic manipulation of the magnonic crystals has been realized with electric current and optic control influence. However, both approaches show limited potential for reduction in energy consumption and miniaturization of magnonic circuits. Voltage (or electric field) control of magnon currents promises to be fast and low energy consuming. It can be achieved in ferrite-ferroelectric (multiferroic) heterostructures, where strong coupling of magnons and microwave photons constitutes new quasiparticles called electromagnons. Here, we present an experimental realization of a voltage-controlled dynamic electromagnonic crystal operating with electromagnons at microwave frequencies. Fast and energy-efficient control of magnon transport in magnonic crystals is one of the main challenges of modern magnonics. High performances for voltage control are expected but have so far only been predicted theoretically and investigated numerically. In this paper, the authors report of the first experimental realization of voltage-controlled magnon currents in a dynamic electromagnonic crystal.