Photocarrier transport of ferroelectric photovoltaic thin films detected by the magnetic dynamics of adjacent ferromagnetic layers

Abstract

We have observed photocarrier transport behaviors in ${\mathrm{BiFeO}}_{3}/{\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ (BFO/LSMO) heterostructures by using time-resolved synchrotron x-ray magnetic circular dichroism in reflectivity. The magnetization of LSMO layers was used as a probe of photo-induced carrier dynamics in the photovoltaic BFO layers. During the photo-induced demagnetization process, the decay time of LSMO ($x$=0.2) magnetization strongly depends on the ferroelectric polarization direction of the BFO layer. The variation of decay time should be attributed to the different sign of accumulated photocarriers at the BFO/LSMO interface induced by the photovoltaic effect of the BFO layer. The photocarriers can reach the BFO/LSMO interface and influence the magnetization distribution in the LSMO layers within the timescale of $\ensuremath{\sim}100$ ps. Our results provide a novel strategy to investigate carrier dynamics and mechanisms of optical control of magnetization in thin film heterostructures.