Study of the Effect of Inverse Magnetostriction in Ferromagnet/Ferroelectric Heterostructures Using Ab Initio Calculations

Fe/BaTiO 3 , Fe/SrTiO 3 , Co/BaTiO 3 , and Co/SrTiO 3 heterostructures, which exhibit magnetoelectric effect, have been investigated. It is shown that the magnetic properties of thin ferromagnetic films can be controlled using an external electric field. The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of the heterostructures have been investigated applying ab initio calculation methods. It is shown that, using the inverse piezoelectric effect, one can reduce the absolute value of the ferromagnet magnetization vector. This approach may be a basis for controlling the properties of one of the ferromagnetic layers of a superconducting spin valve and, as a consequence, the superconducting properties of the valve.