Tunable microwave frequency performance of nanocomposite Co2MnSi/PZN-PT magnetoelectric coupling structure.

Nanocrystalline Co2MnSi Heusler alloy films were deposited on the PZN-PT substrates by a composition gradient sputtering method. It is revealed that this multiferroic heterostructure shows very strong magnetoelectric coupling, leading to continuously tunable microwave frequency characteristics by electric field. With the increase of electric field intensity from 0 to 6 kV/cm, the magnetic anisotropy field H(K) increases from 90 Oe to 182 Oe with an increment of 102%, corresponding to a ME coefficient of 15.3 Oe cm/kV; the ferromagnetic resonance frequency f(FMR) shifts from 3.38 to 4.82 GHz with an increment of deltaf(FMR) = 1440 MHz or deltaf(FMR)/f(FMR) = 43%; moreover, the damping constant alpha dramatically decreases from 0.035 to 0.018. These merits demonstrate that this nanocomposite multiferroic structure is promising in fabrication of tunable microwave components.