Interface-Induced Enhancement of Ferromagnetism in Insulating LaMnO Ultrathin Films.

Engineering ferromagnetism, by modulating its magnitude or anisotropy, is an important topic in the field of magnetism and spintronics. Among different types of magnetic materials, ferromagnetic insulators, in which magnetic moment unusually coexists with localized electrons, are of particular interest. Here, we report a remarkable interfacial enhancement of the ferromagnetism by adding one unit-cell LaAlO adjacent to an insulating LaMnO ultrathin film. The enhancement of ferromagnetism is explained in terms of charge transfer at the interface, as evidenced by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. This study demonstrates an effective and dramatic approach to modulate the functionality of ferromagnetic insulators, contributing to the arsenal of engineering techniques for future spintronics.