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A room-temperature electrical field–controlled magnetic memory cell

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

C. Cavaco ,
M. van Kampen ,
L. Lagae  and
G. Borghs
C. Cavaco*
Affiliation:
Interuniversitary Micro-Electronic Centre (IMEC), 3001 Leuven, Belgium
M. van Kampen
Affiliation:
Interuniversitary Micro-Electronic Centre (IMEC), 3001 Leuven, Belgium
L. Lagae
Affiliation:
Interuniversitary Micro-Electronic Centre (IMEC), 3001 Leuven, Belgium
G. Borghs
Affiliation:
Interuniversitary Micro-Electronic Centre (IMEC), 3001 Leuven, Belgium
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: cavaco@imec.be
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Abstract

We present a method that allows changing the anisotropy and the magnetic characteristics of piezoelectric–ferromagnetic hybrid structures by electric fields, thereby suppressing the need for external or local magnetic fields. We have investigated the magnetic properties of single Co50Fe50 and CoFe80B20 magnetostrictive thin films as well as of high-quality bottom-pinned spin valves (SV) sputtered on piezoelectric substrates [lead zirconate titanate (PZT)] and patterned in an interdigitated transducer (IDT). Induction of a uniaxial anisotropy axis and the changes on coercivity and switching fields as a function of the applied bias voltage on the IDT are analyzed and interpreted. The down-scalability of this hybrid method supports the possibility of achieving low-power/low-voltage control of the switching fields and shows the feasibility of a hybrid ferroelectric magnetic memory cell.

Keywords

FerroelectricFerromagneticPiezoelectric
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 22 , Issue 8 , August 2007 , pp. 2111 - 2115
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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References

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