Recent Progress in Devices Based on Magnetoelectric Composite Thin Films

Abstract

The strain-driven interfacial coupling between the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric constituents of magnetoelectric (ME) composites makes them potential candidates for novel multifunctional devices. ME composites in the form of thin-film heterostructures show promising applications in miniaturized ME devices. This article reports the recent advancement in ME thin-film devices, such as highly sensitive magnetic field sensors, ME antennas, integrated tunable ME inductors, and ME band-pass filters, is discussed. (Pb1−xZrx)TiO3 (PZT), Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT), Aluminium nitride (AlN), and Al1−xScxN are the most commonly used piezoelectric constituents, whereas FeGa, FeGaB, FeCo, FeCoB, and Metglas (FeCoSiB alloy) are the most commonly used magnetostrictive constituents in the thin film ME devices. The ME field sensors offer a limit of detection in the fT/Hz1/2 range at the mechanical resonance frequency. However, below resonance, different frequency conversion techniques with AC magnetic or electric fields or the delta-E effect are used. Noise floors of 1–100 pT/Hz1/2 at 1 Hz were obtained. Acoustically actuated nanomechanical ME antennas operating at a very-high frequency as well as ultra-high frequency (0.1–3 GHz) range, were introduced. The ME antennas were successfully miniaturized by a few orders smaller in size compared to the state-of-the-art conventional antennas. The designed antennas exhibit potential application in biomedical devices and wearable antennas. Integrated tunable inductors and band-pass filters tuned by electric and magnetic field with a wide operating frequency range are also discussed along with miniaturized ME energy harvesters.

Intense Pulsed Light Thermal Treatment of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/Metglas Heterostructured Films Resulting in Extreme Magnetoelectric Coupling of over 20 V cm−1 Oe−1

“…[8][9][10][11] Prototype demonstrations have illustrated the potential for miniaturized and ultralow-power nano/microelectronics through the combination of magnetic and electronic properties in multifunctional thin films. [12][13][14] The performance of the ME composites was quantified in terms of the ME voltage coefficient 𝛼 ME , which is considered a figure of merit. Conventionally, bulk laminates of ME composites have been utilized to demonstrate outstanding 𝛼 ME (as high as 21.6 V cm −1 Oe −1 ) in the off-resonance condition.…”

Electrical and Magnetoelectric Properties of Particulate Composites and Laminated Trilayered Thick‐Film Composites

“…The remarkable progress in multiferroic magnetoelectric composites containing ferromagnetic and ferroelectric orders has drawn greater contribution to research activities, producing potential applications in novel multifunctional devices such as transducers, spintronics, gyrators, energy harvesters, current measurement probes for high-power electric transmission systems, magnetoelectric random access memory, tuneable microwave devices, etc. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Fundamentally, ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials display stable switchable polarization and switchable magnetization that arise in the form of atomic displacements and the quantum mechanical phenomenon of exchange. As a result, dielectric polarization of a material in the presence of a magnetic field or induced magnetization under an electric field requires the simultaneous existence of long-range ordering of electric dipoles and magnetic moments, and the effect produced by the induction of magnetization under an electric field or dielectric polarization under magnetic field is known as magnetoelectric effect (ME).…”

Thin Film Magnetoelectric Sensors Toward Biomagnetism: Materials, Devices, and Applications

“…[31][32][33][34][35] In recent years thin film magnetoelectric (ME) sensors have drawn great attention due to their simple structures, small dimensions, and compatibility with CMOS microfabrication technologies. [36][37][38] ME sensors offer high sensitivity, passive detection scheme, low cost, and room temperature operation. Moreover, owing to their small dimensions, ME sensor arrays can be easily integrated and placed close to living organisms.…”