Direct Mapping of Magnetic and Structural Profiles of Electric Field Moderated Oxygen Migration

Recent studies on metal/oxide heterostructures have demonstrated control of interfacial magnetic anisotropy and saturation magnetization in ultrathin (5 ML) Co films through electric-field controlled oxygen migration. This approach presents a promising route to realizing next-generation, ultralow power sensor and data-storage technologies. Here we demonstrate magnetoelectric coupling moderated by electrically-driven oxygen migration in much thicker AlOx(1 um)/GdOx(2 nm)/Co (15 nm) heterostructures. Using polarized neutron reflectometry, we present direct, quantitative depth profiling of the magnetization and oxygen concentration in these systems. Electro-thermal conditioning moves oxygen from AlOx and GdOx base-layers throughout the entire thickness of the 15 nm Co layer, resulting in a suppressed magnetization. Switching the electric field polarity semi-reversibly ejects oxygen preferentially from the GdOX/Co interface, partially recovering the magnetization and establishing a practical limit to this approach. First order reversal curve diagrams show that the conditioned samples exhibit two distinct magnetic phases, while the as-grown samples are single phase, suggesting that the treatments alters the Co film microstructure. X-ray spectroscopy confirms the oxidation states of the Co and Gd, and suggest that the GdOX acts to transmit oxygen but does not source or sink it.