Soft X-ray RIXS-MCD investigation of magneto-electrical coupling in ferrite nanoplatelets embedded in BaTiO3 thin films

We propose to investigate the coupling phenomena between strain state, magnetic properties and ferroelectric properties in multiferroic composites made of embedded ferrimagnetic MFe2O4 (M = Mn and Co) spinel platelets in epitaxial ferroelectric BaTiO3 (001) layers. Taking advantage of the RIXS-MCD setup of ID32 beamline, we will analyze RIXS maps and XMCD spectra while tuning in situ the electrical polarization and therefore causing lattice deformation due to piezoelectric effects. The main aim is to observe the variations in the magnetic response to the applied electrical field at saturated magnetic field and different temperatures. This study will enable us to determine the magneto-electric (ME) coefficient in artificial multiferroic thin films, which are of great interest as sensing components for 2D spintronic devices. Probing such property in the nanometer range is highly challenging and requires a novel approach.