Growth and Characterization of Magnetoelectric Fe$_{2}$TeO$_{6}$ Thin Films

Promising spintronic concepts such as Cr$_{2}$O$_{3}$ based voltage-controlled exchange bias systems [1] employ electric controlled boundary magnetization. Symmetry arguments reveal that equilibrium boundary magnetization is a generic property of magnetoelectric antiferromagnets [2]. However, experimental evidence of boundary magnetization is scarce and microscopic evidence has only been provided for the Cr$_{2}$O$_{3}$ (0001) surface [3]. In order to bring the concept of boundary magnetization into a broader experimental context we prepare the magnetoelectric antiferromagnet Fe$_{2}$TeO$_{6 }$with tri-rutile structure. We use two distinct approaches for the thin film growth, RF sputtering and pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Both methodologies start from targets which we prepare from sintered powder of Fe$_{2}$TeO$_{6}$ produced in a solid-state reaction. We characterize the magnetoelectric thin film of Fe$_{2}$TeO$_{6}$ structurally, magnetically and magnetoelectrically using XRD, SQUID, RHEED, LEED and MOKE. Our investigation aims on an experimental test of the predicted generality of the equilibrium boundary magnetization in magnetoelectric antiferromagnets. \\[4pt] [1] He, Xi \textit{et al.}, Nature Materials 9, 579 - 585 (2010)\\[0pt] [2] Belashchenko, K.D., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 147204 (2010)\\[0pt] [3] Wu N. \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 087202 (2011)