Scanning probe manipulation of magnetism at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerface

Nano Lett. 2012 Aug 8;12(8):4055-9. doi: 10.1021/nl301451e. Epub 2012 Jul 11.

Abstract

Manipulation of magnetism is a longstanding goal of research in exotic materials. In this work, we demonstrate that the small ferromagnetic patches in LaAlO(3)/SrTiO(3) heterostructures can be dramatically changed by in situ contact of a scanning probe. Our results provide a platform for manipulation of small magnets through either a strong magneto-elastic coupling or sensitivity to surface modification. The ability to locally control magnetism is particularly interesting due to the presence of superconductivity with strong spin-orbit coupling in LaAlO(3)/SrTiO(3).