Magnetic anisotropy control by applying an electric field to the side surface of ferromagnetic films.

Reducing the power consumption necessary for magnetization reversal is one of the most crucial issues facing spintronics devices. Electric field control of the magnetic anisotropy of ferromagnetic thin films is a promising method to solve this problem. However, the electric field is believed to be effective only within several nanometres of the surface in ferromagnetic metals because of its short Thomas-Fermi screening length, which prevents its practical application to devices. Herein, we successfully modulate the magnetic anisotropy of the entire region of the ferromagnetic layers in the elongated mesas of vertical spin field-effect transistors with widths as large as ~500 nm by applying an electric field to the side surface of the metallic GaMnAs-based mesas through an electric double layer. Our results will open up a new pathway for spintronics devices with ultra-low power consumption.