Magnetoelectric Fe2TeO6 thin films.

Abstract We demonstrate that Fe 2 TeO 6 is a magnetoelectric antiferromagnet with voltage-controllableboundary magnetization. This provides experimental evidence of the theoretical predictionthat boundary magnetization is a universal property of magnetoelectric antiferromagnetsincluding boundary magnetization at a surface orthogonal to the polar direction. Highly (110)textured Fe 2 TeO 6 thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition, terminating in Te–O at the(110) surface due to a surface reconstruction. Magnetic dc susceptibility measurements ofboth Fe 2 TeO 6 powder and thin film samples confirm antiferromagnetic long-range order.Finally, measurements of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism combined with photoemissionelectron microscopy (XMCD–PEEM) provide a lower bound to the spin and angular magneticmoment of the surface Fe ions.Keywords: boundary polarization, magnetoelectric, XMCD–PEEM, antiferromagneticdomainsS Online supplementary data available fromstacks.iop.org/JPhysCM/26/055012/mmedia(Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)