Phase Change-Induced Magnetic Switching through Metal–Insulator Transition in VO2/TbFeCo Films

Abstract

The ability to manipulate spins in magnetic materials is essential in designing spintronics devices. One method for magnetic switching is through strain. In VO (Formula presented.) on TiO (Formula presented.) thin films, while VO (Formula presented.) remains rutile across the metal–insulator transition, the in-plane lattice area expands going from a low-temperature insulating phase to a high-temperature conducting phase. In a VO (Formula presented.) /TbFeCo bilayer, the expansion of the VO (Formula presented.) lattice area exerts tension on the amorphous TbFeCo layer. Through the strain effect, magnetic properties, including the magnetic anisotropy and magnetization, of TbFeCo can be changed. In this work, the changes in magnetic properties of TbFeCo on VO (Formula presented.) /TiO (Formula presented.) (011) are demonstrated using anomalous Hall effect measurements. Across the metal–insulator transition, TbFeCo loses perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and the magnetization in TbFeCo turns from out-of-plane to in-plane. Using atomistic simulations, we confirm these tunable magnetic properties originating from the metal–insulator transition of VO (Formula presented.). This study provides the groundwork for controlling magnetic properties through a phase transition.