Weak trimer distortion and planar spin configuration in hexagonal Lu0.6In0.4FeO3

Abstract

Improper ferroelectricity and canted ferromagnetism in antiferromagnetically ordered hexagonal ferrites with A2-type spin configuration have been intensely studied due to their potential for room-temperature multiferroicity with strong magnetoelectric couplings. However, the subtle interplay between the magnetic structure and trimer structural distortion, which is a critical ingredient for ferroelectricity, has not been clearly verified in experiments due to the lack of control over trimer distortion. In this study, we report on Lu0.6In0.4FeO3, which exhibits weaker trimer distortion primarily related to the smaller tilting of the FeO5 bipyramids. The reduced vertical displacement of the equatorial oxygen of FeO5 located at the center of the trimer lowers the magnitude of the in-plane Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya vector component, resulting in the absence of canted ferromagnetism with the planar A1-type spin configuration, rather than the canted A2-type observed in other hexagonal ferrites. Our findings demonstrate that the degree of trimer distortion plays an important role in determining the spin configuration in related hexagonal systems.