Electric and Magneto-Electric Properties of Cr₂O₃Thin Films

Abstract

C-axis epitaxial Cr2O3 thin films were prepared on Pt by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method with an in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) system. Leakage current of Cr2O3 which is deposited at 480• C is the lowest and the value shows 10 −6 -10 −7 A/cm 2 order and magnetic hysteresis was observed. This magnetization is induced at Cr2O3/Pt interface and this could be due to compressive stress from Pt substrate, and magnetoelectric (ME) effect could be modulated by interaction between interface and Cr2O3.

Magnetoelectric manipulation and enhanced operating temperature in antiferromagnetic Cr2O3 thin film

“…However, there had been few reports on the electric properties of Cr 2 O 3 thin films. 43,88,89) The Cr 2 O 3 film fabricated by reactive sputtering exhibited good magnetic and electric properties: it had a magnetic susceptibility almost equivalent to that of Cr 2 O 3 single crystals 77) and its leakage current was 4.0 × 10 −5 A=cm 2 at 80 kV=cm, which is sufficiently small compared with that in a previous study. 43) The realization of good magnetic and electric properties at the same time contributed to the first observation of the ME manipulation of exchange bias in a Cr 2 O 3 =Co all-thin-film system.…”