Cooperative control of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy via crystal structure and orientation in freestanding SrRuO3 membranes

Zengxing Lu,Xuan Zheng,Bingshan Cao,Xianfeng Hao,Yuanyuan Guo,Zhicheng Zhong,Kenan Zhao,Haifeng Du,Dongsheng Song,Run-Wei Li,Sheng Li,Yongjie Yang,Jiatai Feng,Zhiming Wang,Zeliang Ren,Bin Lao,Lijie Wen

doi:10.1038/s41528-022-00141-3

Abstract

Flexible magnetic materials with robust and controllable perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) are highly desirable for developing flexible high-performance spintronic devices. However, it is still challenge to fabricate PMA films on polymers directly. Here, we report a facile method for synthesizing single-crystal freestanding SrRuO3 membranes with controlled crystal structure and orientation using water-soluble Ca3-xSrxAl2O6 sacrificial layers. Through cooperative effect of crystal structure and orientation, flexible membranes reveal highly tunable magnetic anisotropy from in-plane to out-of-plane with a remarkable PMA energy of 7 × 106 erg·cm−3. First-principle calculations reveal that the underlying mechanism of PMA modulation is intimately correlated with structure-controlled Ru 4d-orbital occupation, as well as spin-orbital matrix element differences, dependent on the crystal orientation. In addition, even after 10,000 bending cycles, the PMA keeps stable, indicating a robust magnetism reliability in the prepared films. This work provides a feasible approach to prepare the flexible oxide films with strong and controllable PMA.

Highlights

Flexible electronic/spintronic devices, with bendable and lightweight features, greatly expand the boundaries of spintronic/electronic applications and are gradually changing personal habits in our daily life1–6
Controlling and tailoring the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) on purpose plays a significant role in the formation of emergent spin textures such as chiral domain walls and magnetic skyrmions, which are considered as important ingredient for next-generation spintronic devices10,11
Our films exhibit reliable magnetism against the bending test. These results demonstrate that the sacrificial layer is a powerful approach to fabricate highquality flexible oxide films, and the structure and orientation are of importance to realize the strong and controllable PMA in the prepare membranes

Summary

Introduction

Flexible electronic/spintronic devices, with bendable and lightweight features, greatly expand the boundaries of spintronic/electronic applications and are gradually changing personal habits in our daily life1–6. In this work, using the SAO and Ca1.5Sr1.5Al2O6 (CSAO) as sacrificial layers, we prepare freestanding SRO films with different growth orientations, and realize a strong and highly tunned PMA.

Results

Conclusion