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Epitaxial Stabilization of Single-Crystal Multiferroic YCrO3 Thin Films
Yogesh Sharma1, Elizabeth Skoropata2, Binod Paudel1
1Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 24, 2020
Summary
Epitaxial Yttrium Chromium Oxide (YCrO3) thin films exhibit multiferroic properties, showing ferromagnetism below 144 K and relaxor-ferroelectric behavior. A correlation between magnetic and electric properties was observed, paving the way for new heterostructures.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Solid State Chemistry
Background:
- Multiferroic materials exhibiting coupled magnetic and electric properties are of significant interest for advanced electronic applications.
- Epitaxial thin films offer unique opportunities to tune material properties and explore novel phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize stoichiometric, single-crystal Yttrium Chromium Oxide (YCrO3) epitaxial thin films.
- To investigate the structural, magnetic, and electric properties of these YCrO3 films.
- To explore the magnetoelectric coupling in YCrO3 thin films.
Main Methods:
- Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for thin film growth.
- X-ray diffraction (XRD) for structural and crystallinity analysis.
- Atomic force microscopy (AFM) for surface morphology.
- Magnetization measurements (SQUID or VSM).
- Dielectric permittivity measurements as a function of temperature.
Main Results:
- Successful growth of stoichiometric, single-crystal YCrO3 epitaxial thin films on SrTiO3 substrates with layer-by-layer growth and atomically smooth surfaces.
- Ferromagnetic behavior observed below 144 K.
- Relaxor-ferroelectric behavior identified with a transition temperature (Tc) between 375-408 K.
- A dielectric anomaly at the magnetic transition temperature indicates strong magnetoelectric coupling.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates the successful synthesis of multiferroic YCrO3 epitaxial thin films.
- A significant correlation between magnetic and electric order parameters was confirmed.
- These findings provide a foundation for developing rare-earth chromite-based multifunctional heterostructures and understanding magnetoelectric effects.
