Oxygen vacancy induced re-entrant spin glass behavior in multiferroic ErMnO3 thin films

• Published in: Applied physics letters Vol. 93; no. 16
• Main Authors: Jang, S. Y., Lee, D., Lee, J.-H., Noh, T. W., Jo, Y., Jung, M.-H., Chung, J.-S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 20-10-2008
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.3006325

Epitaxial thin films of hexagonal ErMnO3 fabricated on Pt(111)/Al2O3(0001) and yttria-stabilized zirconia(111) substrates exhibited both ferroelectric character and magnetic ordering at low temperatures. As the temperature was reduced, the ErMnO3 films first showed antiferromagnetism. At lower temperatures, the films deposited at lower oxygen partial pressures exhibited spin glass behavior. This re-entrant spin glass behavior was attributed to competition between an antiferromagnetic interaction in the hexagonal geometry and a ferromagnetic interaction caused by a change in Mn valence induced by excess electrons from the oxygen vacancies.