Stabilization of correlated ferroelectric and ferromagnetic domain structures in BiFe0.9Co0.1O3 films

Co-substituted bismuth ferrite, BiFe0.9Co0.1O3, thin film is a promising candidate material for low-power-consumption nonvolatile magnetic memory devices because magnetization reversal by an electric field has been directly observed at room temperature. However, this phenomenon takes place in a limited region where the ferroelectric domain is composed of two polarization variants forming stripe patterns. We demonstrate the extension of the stripe domain structure to the entire electrically poled region by utilizing an effective in-plane electric field called a trailing field. A one-to-one correlation between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic domains was also demonstrated.