Competition Between Exchange and Magnetostatic Energies in Domain Pattern Transfer from BaTiO$_3$(111) to Ni Thin Film

Abstract

We use spin polarized low energy electron microscopy to investigate domain pattern transfer in a multiferroic heterostructure consisting of a $(111)$-oriented BaTiO$_{\mathrm{3}}$ substrate and an epitaxial Ni film. After in-situ thin film deposition and annealing through the ferroelectric phase transition, interfacial strain transfer from ferroelastic domains in the substrate and inverse magnetostriction in the magnetic thin film introduce a uniaxial in-plane magnetic anisotropy that rotates by $60^{\circ}$ between alternating stripe regions. We show that two types of magnetic domain wall can be initialized in principle. Combining experimental results with micromagnetic simulations we show that a competition between the exchange and magnetostatic energies in these domain walls have a strong influence on the magnetic domain configuration.