Spin textures in BiFeO3-based superlattices

An exciting development in the domain of ferroelectricity is the appearance of skyrmionic-like polar states. This has been recently observed in ferroic based superlattices (SLs). Such polar instability has also been demonstrated in BiFeO3 (BFO)-based SLs, including through our work. Following our recent success in probing (BFO) films on various substrates using neutron diffraction on WISH, we propose to study a series of BFO- SLs where changing the repeating pattern and thickness of the two materials (one of which is BFO, the other LaFeO3) provides a new control handle on confinement, strain and competing interactions to tune the magnetic and ferroelectric properties in BFO, the archetypical multiferroic oxide. We have produced high quality samples which should allow us to explore crossover behaviour between cycloidal and antiferromagnetic states and determine which polar and spin instabilities lead to exotic polar and/or magnetic textures. A test conducted on one such SL at the end of the series confirms the samples are suitable for WISH. Neutron diffraction is the only way to unambiguously determine the magnetic structure in these exciting potentially technologically relevant SL systems.