High-throughput investigation of orientations effect on nanoscale magnetization reversal in cobalt ferrite thin films induced by electric field

The magnetoelectric device concept which enables the non-volatile electric field control of magnetism needs to be investigated for the development of practical information storage devices. In this aspect, the emerging field of magneto-ionics based on the modulation of magnetism by field-driven ion migration is promising because it only requires a simple sample structure in the solid state and has good cyclability. However, the degree of ion migration within the magnetic structure is strongly dependent on the crystal orientations. Since the epitaxial films growing on the commercial single crystal substrates have limited orientations, the ability of magnetism modulated by field-driven ion migration cannot be optimized and understood by using these data. In this work, we utilized the high-throughput synthesis approach, namely, combinatorial substrate epitaxy, which utilizes a polycrystalline substrate. This provides a platform to develop and understand the degree of ionic migration in different orientations of the model system CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) films. The library of electric driven nanoscale magnetization reversal data of CFO with different orientations was obtained by applying the electric field in the same region of known CFO grain orientations. It was determined from the analysis that the [110] crystal direction exhibits the maximum nanoscale magnetization reversal ratio. This is mainly attributed to the ease Co²⁺ migration in the [110] direction under the electric field assisted by a Fe³⁺ and oxygen vacancies.