Strain-transfer mechanisms and voltage generation in scaled composite magnetoelectric devices
Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 044063 – Published 21 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/hygl-rxbr
Abstract
We investigate the differential voltage generation originating from the direct magnetoelectric effect in nanoscale composite devices during magnetization rotation from the magnetic ground state to an out-of-plane configuration. The devices consist of a magnetostrictive ferromagnetic layer mechanically coupled to a piezoelectric layer. Using finite-element modeling in comsol Multiphysics, we systematically analyze strain transfer mechanisms and the resulting open-circuit voltage generation as a function of material and geometric parameters. At nanoscale dimensions, two distinct strain transfer regimes emerge, with the dominant mechanism governed by both device aspect ratio and magnetic state. Surface clamping effects are found to diminish with decreasing pillar diameter and increasing aspect ratio, while strain transfer to the piezoelectric layer is enhanced by stiffer electrodes or additional clamping layers. Furthermore, magnetostrictive materials with large magnetoelastic coupling and high Poisson ratio substantially increase the voltage output at small dimensions. These results provide design guidelines for material selection and dimensional scaling of magnetoelectric pillars. Output voltages exceeding 200 mV are predicted for scaled devices, highlighting their potential for integration in microelectronic applications.
