Polarization-induced magnetoelectric effect in Fe3Ga/HfO2/Fe3Ga heterojunction

Abstract Fe 3 Ga/HfO 2 /Fe 3 Ga heterojunction possesses reasonable lattice mismatch and good ferroelectric at the nanoscale. However, its magnetoelectric coupling is unexplored. Based on the first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that the magnetoelectric coupling in Fe 3 Ga/HfO 2 /Fe 3 Ga heterojunction is induced by polarization, which is different from the common strain-mediated magnetoelectric effect. The polarization-induced magnetoelectric effect of heterojunction is explained by the analyses of orbital-resolved density of states and spin densities, finding that the interfaces between Fe 3 Ga and HfO 2 play an important role in magnetoelectric coupling, offering an alternative pathway for generating magnetoelectric coupling at room temperature.