Nanoengineering room temperature ferroelectricity into orthorhombic SmMnO3 films

Eun-Mi Choi (), Tuhin Maity (), Ahmed Kursumovic, Ping Lu, Zenxhing Bi, Shukai Yu, Yoonsang Park, Bonan Zhu, Rui Wu, Venkatraman Gopalan, Haiyan Wang and Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll
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Eun-Mi Choi: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Tuhin Maity: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Ahmed Kursumovic: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Ping Lu: Sandia National Laboratories
Zenxhing Bi: School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University
Shukai Yu: Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Yoonsang Park: Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Bonan Zhu: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Rui Wu: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Venkatraman Gopalan: Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Haiyan Wang: School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University
Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Orthorhombic RMnO3 (R = rare-earth cation) compounds are type-II multiferroics induced by inversion-symmetry-breaking of spin order. They hold promise for magneto-electric devices. However, no spontaneous room-temperature ferroic property has been observed to date in orthorhombic RMnO3. Here, using 3D straining in nanocomposite films of (SmMnO3)0.5((Bi,Sm)2O3)0.5, we demonstrate room temperature ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism with TC,FM ~ 90 K, matching exactly with theoretical predictions for the induced strain levels. Large in-plane compressive and out-of-plane tensile strains (−3.6% and +4.9%, respectively) were induced by the stiff (Bi,Sm)2O3 nanopillars embedded. The room temperature electric polarization is comparable to other spin-driven ferroelectric RMnO3 films. Also, while bulk SmMnO3 is antiferromagnetic, ferromagnetism was induced in the composite films. The Mn-O bond angles and lengths determined from density functional theory explain the origin of the ferroelectricity, i.e. modification of the exchange coupling. Our structural tuning method gives a route to designing multiferroics.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16101-2

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