Abstract
This Perspective highlights the promise of magnetoelectrics for potential memory and other applications, e.g., sensors and energy harvesters, noting the challenges posed by current magnetoelectric materials and potential solutions to these challenges. While single phase materials do give strong enough magnetoelectric coupling, interface coupled composite systems show unique advantages. From the viewpoint of these composite materials and devices, we review the current status and present an outlook on possible future research directions, with particular emphasis on 3-1 type nanocomposites which are arguably the most promising composite form.
Highlights
Even next-generation magnetic storage technology, i.e., spin transfer torque magnetic random-access memory (STT-MRAM) and spin–orbit torque magnetic random-access memory (SOT-MRAM), still depend on the passage of an electric current,[3] which leads to Joule heating, and thereby increases power consumption
The electric field applied across an insulating multiferroic leads to a reversal of magnetism, giving the possibility for magnetoelectric random-access memory (MeRAM).[4]
The isotropic shape of the particles prevents the shape anisotropy from being present, which means that perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) is not preferred
Summary
Microelectronics and high-density data storage are the two main driving forces for the development of modern information and communication technologies (ICT).[1]. An example metallic system with good direct magnetoelectric effect (DME) coupling is Ta/Cu/Mn70Ir30/Fe50Co50 grown on piezoelectric AlN.[15] This system is very promising for sensor or energy harvester applications but not for memory applications, considering that a large voltage is required to control the magnetism (i.e., CME), because of the large thickness of the piezoelectric substrate.[8,16] On the other hand, in [2] systems which use non-FE substrates [Fig. 1(b-i)], the lateral strain is largely clamped by the underlying substrate, and this strongly reduces the ME coupling. The isotropic shape of the particles prevents the shape anisotropy from being present, which means that perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) is not preferred This leaves the [] composite as the only promising magnetoelectric system with the potential for spintronic applications. This problem has not been sufficiently well addressed, yet it is critical for achieving a sizable ME effect
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