Electric-field tuning of non-volatile magnetization modulation in NiZn ferrite/PZT multiferroic heterostructure

Electrical-field tuning of non-volatile magnetization modulation in a multiferroic NiZn ferrite/lead zirconate titanate (PZT) heterostructure was investigated at room temperature. The heterostructure was fabricated by spin-spray deposition of Ni0.27Zn0.1Fe2.63O4 ferrite film on a specific PZT substrate that possessed residual strain states without voltage support. The biaxial residual strain caused the nonvolatile deviation of magnetic moment in the ferrite film via strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling effect. This phenomenon ultimately led to the non-volatile modulation in ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and magnetic hysteresis characteristics. The proposed method provides a promising approach for reducing energy consumption in magnetization modulation and can be potentially applied in many non-volatile tunable RF/microwave devices. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.