Electric-Field Modulation of Interface Magnetic Anisotropy and Spin Reorientation Transition in (Co/Pt)3/PMN–PT Heterostructure

We report electric-field control of magnetism of (Co/Pt)3 multilayers involving perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with different Co-layer thicknesses grown on Pb­(Mg,Nb)­O3–PbTiO3 (PMN–PT) FE substrates. For the first time, electric-field control of the interface magnetic anisotropy, which results in the spin reorientation transition, was demonstrated. The electric-field-induced changes of the bulk and interface magnetic anisotropies can be understood by considering the strain-induced change of magnetoelastic energy and weakening of Pt 5d–Co 3d hybridization, respectively. We also demonstrate the role of competition between the applied magnetic field and the electric field in determining the magnetization of the sample with the coexistence phase. Our results demonstrate electric-field control of magnetism by harnessing the strain-mediated coupling in multiferroic heterostructures with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and are helpful for electric-field modulations of Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and Rashba effect at interfaces to engineer new functionalities.