Abstract
We grow perpendicular L1 0 -FePt films epitaxially on (001)[Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )] 0.7 -(PbTiO 3 ) 0.3 ferroelectric substrates. Due to the magnetostriction effect, the out-of-plane coercivity (H cO ) of the L1 0 -FePt varies with applied electric fields, showing an asymmetric butterfly-like loop. The H cO at the zero-electric-field state (H cO,0 ) shows a nonvolatile change, depending on the direction of the poling electric field. The magnitude of nonvolatile magnetic anisotropy change, induced by the ferroelectric field effect, can be comparable to the anisotropy change induced by pure electric fields. The nonvolatile magnetic anisotropy change is inversely proportional to the FePt thickness and can be eliminated by inserting a metallic intermediate layer. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.