TY - JOUR
T1 - Role of an interfacial FeO layer in the electric-field-driven switching of magnetocrystalline anisotropy at the Fe/MgO interface
AU - Nakamura, Kohji
AU - Akiyama, Toru
AU - Ito, Tomonori
AU - Weinert, M.
AU - Freeman, A. J.
PY - 2010/6/22
Y1 - 2010/6/22
N2 - The electric-field-induced switching of magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) between in-plane and out-of-plane orientations is investigated by first-principles calculations for the prototypical Fe on MgO(001) system. Our results predict that an ideal abrupt Fe/MgO interface gives rise to a large out-of-plane MCA due to weak Fe-O hybridization at the interface, but the MCA switching by an applied electric field is found to be difficult to achieve. Instead, the existence of an interfacial FeO layer plays a key role in demonstrating the MCA switching that accompanies an electric-field-induced displacement of Fe atoms on the interfacial FeO layer.
AB - The electric-field-induced switching of magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) between in-plane and out-of-plane orientations is investigated by first-principles calculations for the prototypical Fe on MgO(001) system. Our results predict that an ideal abrupt Fe/MgO interface gives rise to a large out-of-plane MCA due to weak Fe-O hybridization at the interface, but the MCA switching by an applied electric field is found to be difficult to achieve. Instead, the existence of an interfacial FeO layer plays a key role in demonstrating the MCA switching that accompanies an electric-field-induced displacement of Fe atoms on the interfacial FeO layer.
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.220409
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.220409
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77956337101
VL - 81
JO - Physical Review B-Condensed Matter
JF - Physical Review B-Condensed Matter
SN - 1098-0121
IS - 22
M1 - 220409
ER -