Electrical field control of non-volatile 90° magnetization switching in epitaxial FeSi films on (001) 0.7[Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3]-0.3[PbTi0.3O3]

The epitaxial FeSi thin films on (001) 0.7[Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3]-0.3[PbTi0.3O3] (PMN-0.3PT) substrates were fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The observed asymmetric strain-electric field curve suggests a tensile strain switching between two perpendicular directions in PMN-0.3PT with the variation of polarity of electric fields. A simple theoretical simulation of the free energy landscape shows that the stable magnetization easy axis (MEA) of FeSi with the inherent cubic magnetocrystalline anisotropy depends on the strength and direction of an extra strain induced uniaxial anisotropy. A reversible and non-volatile 90° switching of MEA by ±6 kV/cm pulses was confirmed by the angular dependence of remanent magnetization and Kerr hysteresis loops in Ta/FeSi/PMN-0.3PT/Pt heterostructures.