Effect of double layer thickness on magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroic BaTiO3-Bi0.95Gd0.05FeO3 multilayers

The effect of double-layer thickness and partial substitution of Bi3+ by Gd3+ is demonstrated for multiferroic BaTiO3-BiFeO3 2-2 heterostructures. Multilayers of 15 double layers of BaTiO3 and Bi0.95Gd0.05FeO3 were deposited onto (001) oriented SrTiO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition with various double layer thicknesses. X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy investigations revealed a systematic strain tuning with layer thickness via coherently strained interfaces. The multilayers show increasingly enhanced magnetoelectric coupling with reduced double layer thickness. The maximum magnetoelectric coupling coefficient alpha ME was measured to be as high as 50.8V cm(-1) Oe(-1) in 0 T DC bias magnetic field at room temperature, and 54.9V cm(-1) Oe(-1) above 3 T for the sample with the thinnest double layer thickness of 22.5 nm. This enhancement is accompanied by progressively increasing perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and compressive out-of-plane strain. To understand the origin of the enhanced magnetoelectric coupling in such multilayers, the temperature and magnetic field dependency of alpha ME is discussed. The magnetoelectric performance of the Gd3+ substituted samples is found to be slightly enhanced when compared to unsubstituted BaTiO3-BiFeO3 multilayers of comparable double-layer thickness.