Frontiers in Electronic Materials

Abstract

Magnetic ferroelectric ("multiferroic") materials with a strong magnetoelectric coupling are of high interest for potential information technology applications, e.g. non-volatile memories. HoMnO3 is a hexagonal manganite possessing both ferroelectric and frustrated antiferromagnetic order, and is hence termed a multiferroic material. Topological defects are pervasive in complex matter such as superfluids, liquid crystals, earth atmosphere, and early universe. Nondestructive visualization of lattice strain, rotation, and distortion in confined ferroelectric and multiferroic materials under applied fields is of key importance to understanding the complex interplay between fundamental material physics and nanoscale device functionality and design. The BaTiO3/Fe(001) junction represents an archetype system in which the classical ferroelectricity (FE) film is combined with the ferromagnetic (FM) electrode in an almost perfect lattice match. The cubic perovskite PbCrO3 is a rare example of a semiconducting compound of Cr in oxidation state 4+. Controlled Vocabulary Terms couplings; ferroelectric materials; ferromagnetic materials; magnetoelectric effects