Magnetoelectric Coupling In Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3-Galfenol Thin Film Heterostructures

Heterostructures of piezoelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 and magnetostrictive Galfenol were fabricated by sputtering and pulsed laser deposition on platinized Si substrates with the aim to induce a magnetoelectric coupling between the layers of the two materials. In this study, no intermediate layer was introduced between Pb(Zr0.56Ti0.44)O-3 and Galfenol in contrast to most of the previous thin films studies. The obtained magnetoelectric coupling constant is in the range of 6-7 V/(cm Oe), indicating that an undisturbed piezoelectric-magnetostrictive interface can outbalance small deteriorations of the ferroic properties of the active materials. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.