Multiferroic thin-film integration onto semiconductor devices

Abstract

This review deals with thin films of single-phase materials which exhibit two primary ferroic properties, namely ferroelectricity and (anti)ferromagnetism, deposited directly or through buffer layers onto semiconductors. It is the electrical control of ferromagnetism and magnetic control of ferroelectricity at room temperature and resulting device functionality that served as the driving force for the recent widespread research activities in this field. Although Gilbert demonstrated in 1600 that electrostatics (amber) do not couple to magnetostatics (compass needles), charges in motion certainly couple to magnetism, as shown later by Oersted and epitomized by Maxwell's theoretical derivation of the properties of electromagnetic waves. We survey the important contributions of various eminent physicists, from Curie to Dzyaloshinskii and Astrov to Schmid, without whom this field of research might not have developed. Most of the known multiferroic materials are classified into different groups, primarily based on Khomskii's classification of oxide multiferroics. We follow this with a brief discussion on the device application of multiferroics with semiconductor integration.

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Polarization-based perturbations to thermopower and electronic conductivity in highly conductive tungsten bronze structured(Sr,Ba)Nb2O6: Relaxors vs normal ferroele

“…These properties make them useful for high performance capacitors, piezoelectric sensors and actuators, pyroelectric detectors, electro-optic switches, electrocaloric coolers, polarization based non-volatile memories, and multiferroic sensors and switches. [1][2][3][4][5][6] A commonality of these applications is that they require the application of a sizable electric field, and this necessitates that the ferroelectric materials be insulating. Consequently, much less attention has been paid to the application possibilities for ferroelectric materials that are electrically conducting.…”

Surfactant-enabled epitaxy through control of growth mode with chemical boundary conditions

“…We could expect, however, a rich resource of new science and functionalities at ideal epitaxial interfaces between highly dissimilar materials, if they could be created. The opportunities become particularly interesting if we can exploit property coupling between polar semiconductors and materials close to a phase transition or property instability; these include nonlinear dielectrics, non-linear magnets, and/or two-dimensional conductors [4][5][6][7][8] . This vision for integration is made possible by introducing a novel synthesis technique that provides access to highly mismatched epitaxial systems that cannot be realized by conventional methods.…”