Flexible electronics integrating spintronics are of great potential in the areas of lightweight and flexible personal electronics. The integration of ferromagnetic and other functional oxides on flexible mica substrates is crucial for the proposed computer technology. In this work, we demonstrate the successful integration of a ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic nanocomposite of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO)/NiO with unique perpendicular exchange bias properties on a flexible mica substrate. Utilization of multiple sets of buffer layers has been attempted to overcome the large mismatch between the film and the substrate and to achieve high-quality nanocomposite growth on mica. Exchange bias of ∼200 and ∼140 Oe for the applied magnetic field perpendicular and parallel to the film surface, respectively, has been achieved and attributed to the strongly coupled vertical ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interfaces. Such nanocomposite thin films exhibit excellent structural robustness and reliability under a cyclic bending test. This work demonstrates the enormous potential of integrating complex two-phase multifunctional oxides on mica for future flexible wearable personal devices.
Keywords: exchange bias; flexible electronics; mica; nanocomposite thin film; pulsed laser deposition.