Emergence of exchange bias field in FeS superconductor with cobalt-doping.

Among all the iron-based superconductors, the 11 series has the simplest layered structure but exhibits rich physical phenomenon. In this work, we have synthesized Fe1-xCoxS single crystals with tetragonal structure and studied their structure and magnetic properties. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that the cobalt doping would suppress superconductivity and even introduce weak ferromagnetism besides antiferromagnetism. Scanning electron microscopy study reveals that the Co-doped samples exhibit intrinsic phase separation. Moreover, magnetic force microscopy measurement shows no magnetic domain in Fe1-xCoxS, indicating that neither phase is pure ferromagnetic. The coexistence of ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism leads to the relatively large exchange bias field. Since the exchange bias effect has been widely used in the field of information storage, spin-valves, and magnetic tunnel junctions, our study provides another option for further application.

Spin-orbit coupling in magnetoelectric Ba3(Zn1-xCox)2Fe24O41 hexaferrites.

The Z-type hexaferrites Ba3(Zn1-xCox)2Fe24O41 (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, defined as Z1-Z4) were synthesized by a sol-gel method. With increasing cobalt concentration, the origin of magnetoelectric (ME) coupling and the effects of crystal parameters, occupation of ions, and magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) on ME current were studied systematically. The mechanism of magnetic phase transition, revealing the evolution of the magnetic order in the temperature range of 10-400 K, was discussed in detail. Our results suggest that the ferroelectricity of Z1-Z4 originates from both inverse Dzyaloshinskii Moriya (DM) interaction and p-d hybridization mechanism. In particular the ME coupling property is only dominated by p-d hybridization with spin-orbit coupling. This study provides an effective way to improve the ME coupling property of hexaferrites, which have potential applications in the design of new electronic devices.

Current-induced magnetization switching in all-oxide heterostructures.

The electrical switching of magnetization through spin-orbit torque (SOT)1 holds promise for application in information technologies, such as low-power, non-volatile magnetic memory. Materials with strong spin-orbit coupling, such as heavy metals2-4 and topological insulators5,6, can convert a charge current into a spin current. The spin current can then execute a transfer torque on the magnetization of a neighbouring magnetic layer, usually a ferromagnetic metal like CoFeB, and reverse its magnetization. Here, we combine a ferromagnetic transition metal oxide7 with an oxide with strong spin-orbit coupling8 to demonstrate all-oxide SOT devices. We show current-induced magnetization switching in SrIrO3/SrRuO3 bilayer structures. By controlling the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of SrRuO3 on (001)- and (110)-oriented SrTiO3 (STO) substrates, we designed two types of SOT switching schemes. For the bilayer on the STO(001) substrate, a magnetic-field-free switching was achieved, which remained undisturbed even when the external magnetic field reached 100 mT. The charge-to-spin conversion efficiency for the bilayer on the STO(110) substrate ranged from 0.58 to 0.86, depending on the directionality of the current flow with respect to the crystalline symmetry. All-oxide SOT structures may help to realize field-free switching through a magnetocrystalline anisotropy design.

Strain Engineering of Octahedral Rotations and Physical Properties of SrRuO3 Films.

Strain engineering is an effective way to modify functional properties of thin films. Recently, the importance of octahedral rotations in pervoskite films has been recognized in discovering and designing new functional phases. Octahedral behavior of SrRuO3 film as a popular electrode in heterostructured devices is of particular interest for its probable interfacial coupling of octahedra with the functional overlayers. Here we report the strain engineering of octahedral rotations and physical properties that has been achieved in SrRuO3 films in response to the substrate-induced misfit strains of almost the same amplitude but of opposite signs. It shows that the compressively strained film on NdGaO3 substrate displays a rotation pattern of a tetragonal phase whilst the tensilely strained film on KTaO3 substrate has the rotation pattern of the bulk orthorhombic SrRuO3 phase. In addition, the compressively strained film displays a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy while the tensilely strained film has the magnetic easy axis lying in the film plane. The results show the prospect of strain engineered octahedral architecture in producing desired property and novel functionality in the class of perovskite material.