Elastically controlled magnetic phase transition in Ga-FeRh/BaTiO₃(001) heterostructure

We demonstrate elastically induced ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase transition of Ga-substituted FeRh thin films on BaTiO3(001). It is found that two abrupt changes of magnetization occur at the successive phase transitions from the tetragonal to orthorhombic and the orthorhombic to rhombohedral phases of BaTiO3. Magnetization and magnetoresistance together clearly reveal that a ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase transition is induced due to the compressive lattice strain accompanied by the orthorhombic to rhombohedral structural phase transition, while the tetragonal to orthorhombic phase transition causes a change in the symmetry of the magnetic anisotropy in the ferromagnetic phase of FeRh.