Local probing of magnetoelectric coupling and magnetoelastic control of switching in BiFeO_3-CoFe_2O_4 thin-film nanocomposite

摘要

We report on the combination of piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), magnetic force microscopy, and local ferroelectric switching with magnetic field for the study of a thin-film magnetoelectric (ME) nanocomposite. The collection of PFM under an applied variable magnetic field within a polycrystalline perovskite-spinel BiFeO_3-CoFe_2O_4 (BFO-CFO) 0-3 type thin-film nanocomposite enables quantitative and proximal measurement of magnetoelastic strain-driven ME response. Combination of measurement of the as-grown strain state with local measurements of microstructure and macroscopic magnetization permits local mapping of ME coupling.