Magnetic and Magnetoelectric Interactions at Interfaces in Ideal Antiferromagnetic Systems

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TECHNICAL ABSTRACTThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Fundamental research in magnetic nanostructures has led to devices with new functionality due to the development of the ability to use the spin of the electron to transmit information and thus make novel electronic devices (spintronics). In recent years there has been much interest in using multiferroic materials, which are simultaneously magnetic and ferroelectric, to further control spintronic devices with electric fields. Most intrinsic multiferroic materials are oxide insulators with a weak magnetic-ferroelectric coupling, and therefore there is a need to study alternative multiferroic systems. Here, BaMF4 (M = transition metal) multiferroic thin films will be studied. Because it is relatively easy to modify the magnetic structure of these materials while keeping their crystalline structure unchanged, the nature of the magnetic-ferroelectric coupling within the bulk of the film and at the interfaces will be discerned and optimized. In addition to standard magnetometry and ferroelectric measurements, neutron scattering will be used to determine the magnetic structure of these antiferromagnetic and multiferroic materials. Tunnel junctions of these materials will also be studied in an attempt to perform spectroscopic measurements of their magnetic and magnetoelectric excitations. This project will contribute to the effort of maintaining American competititveness in science and technology fields by participating in educational and outreach programs at West Virginia University geared towards attracting and retaining underrepresented minority students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These include summer research programs for both undergraduate and graduate students as well as recruiting outstanding minority graduate students for year-long fellowships.NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACTThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Magnetic nanostructures have been the basis of several recent technological innovations that have led to small, more efficient data storage and electronic devices. Recently, there has been much interest developing new materials, called multiferroics, that not only have a strong magnetic response, but also respond to a change in voltage, which would enable the fabrication of electronic devices with multiple functionalities; that is, devices that respond to both electronic and magnetic signals. This project will consist of fabricating multiferroic nanostructures, based on fluoride compounds rather than the usual oxides, and studying their magnetic and electronic properties. By optimizing the magnetic response of these materials to applied voltages, electronic and data storage devices that are faster and more power efficient than current devices will be developed. This project will contribute to the effort of maintaining American competititveness in science and technology fields by participating in educational and outreach programs at West Virginia University geared towards attracting and retaining underrepresented minority students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These include summer research programs for both undergraduate and graduate students as well as recruiting outstanding minority graduate students for year-long fellowships.