A critical challenge in realizing magnetoelectrics based on reconfigurable microwave devices, which is the ability to switch between distinct ferromagnetic resonances (FMR) in a stable, reversible and energy efficient manner, has been addressed. In particular, a voltage-impulse-induced two-step ferroelastic switching pathway can be used to in situ manipulate the magnetic anisotropy and enable non-volatile FMR tuning in FeCoB/PMN-PT (011) multiferroic heterostructures.

State-of-the-art compact antennas rely on electromagnetic wave resonance, which leads to antenna sizes that are comparable to the electromagnetic wavelength. As a result, antennas typically have a size greater than one-tenth of the wavelength, and further miniaturization of antennas has been an open challenge for decades. Here we report on acoustically actuated nanomechanical magnetoelectric (ME) antennas with a suspended ferromagnetic/piezoelectric thin-film heterostructure. These ME antennas receive and transmit electromagnetic waves through the ME effect at their acoustic resonance frequencies. The bulk acoustic waves in ME antennas stimulate magnetization oscillations of the ferromagnetic thin film, which results in the radiation of electromagnetic waves. Vice versa, these antennas sense the magnetic fields of electromagnetic waves, giving a piezoelectric voltage output. The ME antennas (with sizes as small as one-thousandth of a wavelength) demonstrates 1–2 orders of magnitude miniaturization over state-of-the-art compact antennas without performance degradation. These ME antennas have potential implications for portable wireless communication systems.

We experimentally investigate spin-orbit torques and spin pumping in NiFe/Pt bilayers with direct and interrupted interfaces. The damping-like and field-like torques are simultaneously measured with spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance tuned by a dc bias current, whereas spin pumping is measured electrically through the inverse spin Hall effect using a microwave cavity. Insertion of an atomically thin Cu dusting layer at the interface reduces the damping-like torque, field-like torque, and spin pumping by nearly the same factor of ≈1.4. This finding confirms that the observed spin-orbit torques predominantly arise from diffusive transport of spin current generated by the spin Hall effect. We also find that spin-current scattering at the NiFe/Pt interface contributes to additional enhancement in magnetization damping that is distinct from spin pumping.

Strain and charge co-mediated magnetoelectric coupling are expected in ultra-thin ferromagnetic/ferroelectric multiferroic heterostructures, which could lead to significantly enhanced magnetoelectric coupling. It is however challenging to observe the combined strain charge mediated magnetoelectric coupling, and difficult in quantitatively distinguish these two magnetoelectric coupling mechanisms. We demonstrated in this work, the quantification of the coexistence of strain and surface charge mediated magnetoelectric coupling on ultra-thin Ni0.79Fe0.21/PMN-PT interface by using a Ni0.79Fe0.21/Cu/PMN-PT heterostructure with only strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling as a control. The NiFe/PMN-PT heterostructure exhibited a high voltage induced effective magnetic field change of 375 Oe enhanced by the surface charge at the PMN-PT interface. Without the enhancement of the charge-mediated magnetoelectric effect by inserting a Cu layer at the PMN-PT interface, the electric field modification of effective magnetic field was 202 Oe. By distinguishing the magnetoelectric coupling mechanisms, a pure surface charge modification of magnetism shows a strong correlation to polarization of PMN-PT. A non-volatile effective magnetic field change of 104 Oe was observed at zero electric field originates from the different remnant polarization state of PMN-PT. The strain and charge co-mediated magnetoelectric coupling in ultra-thin magnetic/ferroelectric heterostructures could lead to power efficient and non-volatile magnetoelectric devices with enhanced magnetoelectric coupling.

Dual E- and H-field control of microwave performance with enhanced ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) tunability has been demonstrated in microwave composites FeGaB/PZN-PT(011). A voltage-impulse-induced non-volatile magnetization switching was also realized in this work, resulting from the hysteretic type of phase transition in PZN-PT(011) at high electric fields. The results provide a framework for developing lightweight, energy efficient, voltage-tunable RF/microwave devices.

SignificanceFerromagnetic insulators are highly needed as the necessary components in developing next-generation dissipationless quantum-spintronic devices. Such materials are rare, and those high symmetric ones without chemical doping available so far only work below 16 K. Here we demonstrate a tensile-strained LaCoO3 film to be a strain-induced high-temperature ferromagnetic insulator. Both experiments and first-principles calculations demonstrated that the tensile-strain–supported ferromagnetism reaches its strongest when the composition is nearly stoichiometric. It disappears when the Co2+ defect concentration reaches around 10%. The discovery represents a chance for the availability of such materials, a high operation temperature, and a high epitaxial integration potential for making future devices.

The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY ACRONYM(S)AFRL/MLPS SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)Materials and DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENTApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTESPublished in Physical Review B, 69, 155321 (2004). This material is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 Words), ,We developed a modified 8x8 envelope-function approximation (EFA) formalism for the noncommon-atom (NCA) superlattices (SL's), incorporating the effect of anisotropic and other interface (IF) interactions that go beyond the standard EFA. The boundary condition in the presence of IF interactions are used to set up a secular equation (including a transfer matrix derivation) whose physical transparency makes possible a number of valuable insights (possibility of IF bound states, analytic solutions, indirect gaps, etc.). We show that the heavy-hole-spin-orbit IF coupling is very important due to the IF localization of the SO wave function components and the ability of the IF potential to potentially bind a hole at the IF's, all of which pose convergence problems for perturbative solutions. With two adjustable parameter for the two possible IF's, we find a very good agreement between experiment and theory for the band gaps of several sets of very long-infrared and midinfrared InAs/GaSb SL's grown at several laboratories and by us. The band gaps as a function of GaSb and InAs widths are explained in terms of variations of the HH and conduction (C) bandwidths. We develop a modified 8X8 envelope-function approximalion (EFA) formalism for the noncommon-atom (NCA) superlattices (SL's), incorporating the effect of anisotropie and other interface (IF) interactions that go beyond the standard F.FA. The boundary conditions in the presence of IF interactions are used to set up a secular equation (including a transfer matrix derivation) whose physical transparency makes possible a number of valuable insights (possibility oflF bound states, analytic solutions, indirect gaps, etc.). We show that the heavy-holc-spin-orbit IF coupling is very important due to die IF localization of the SO wave function components and the ability of the IF potential to potentially bind a hole at the IF's, all of which pose convergence problems for pcrturbative solutions. With two adjustable parameter for the two possible IF's, we find a very good agreement between experiment and theory for the band gaps of several sets of very longinfrared and midinfrarcd InAs/GaSb...

A uniform array of a new type of heterojunction formed between carbon nanotubes and silicon is studied. The heterojunction array was controllably grown with parallel and uniform nanotubes vertically aligned to the silicon substrate using a self-organized nanopore array template. The pronounced rectifying characteristics of the heterojunction were measured with an on/off ratio as high as 10(5) at 4 V. The analysis shows a large and type-I band offset at the heterojunction. The charge transport in the nanotubes is found to be strongly coupled to and limited by the dielectric charging and polarization in the hosting alumina matrix surrounding the nanotubes.