Polar and magnetic properties of PbV O3 thin films

Multifunctional materials promise to provide the foundation for a class of devices in which electrical, magnetic, elastic, and other properties are coupled to one another. Here we present evidence for piezoelectricity and antiferromagnetic ordering in a multifunctional material PbV O3. Through the use of second-harmonic generation and x-ray linear dichroism, we determine a transition from a polar-only 4mm state to a polar and magnetic state below ∼100-130 K. In combination with theory, the magnetic symmetry has been narrowed to be G type (4′/m′ m m′) or spin glass. An effective piezoelectric coefficient of d33 ∼3.1 pC/N was also measured in the polar state at room temperature. © 2007 The American Physical Society.