Growth of multiferroic superlattices

Miniaturization of the electronic devices has prompted the search for new materials with multifunctional properties. In this regard, multiferroics have distinct advantages as multifunctional materials because they possess for instance both ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism. Therefore, in addition to the fundamental interest, these “smart” materials, which are able to react to external stimuli or signals, are very attractive for a wide range of potential applications, e.g., in information storage or spintronics. However, very few multiferroics are known to the humankind. In this article, we report the synthesis of artificial multiferroics using the superlattices approach by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. A series of films were grown by combining the magnetic layers, e.g., Pr0.85Ca0.15MnO3 or La0.7Ca0.3MnO3, and ferroelectric (FE) layers like (Ba1−x Sr x )TiO3 with different thicknesses. The magneto-electric and multiferroic (magnetic and dielectric) properties of these materials have been investigated and discussed in the light of the literature.