Freestanding Antiferromagnetic Oxide Membranes: Synthesis and Characterization of Cr2O3
Abstract
Antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulators stand out as a promising class of materials for fast switching, energy-efficient magnon-based technology, but our understanding of how to tune these properties with the lattice remains limited. As an AFM insulator with strong magnetoelectric response, Cr2O3 membranes stand out as a promising platform to explore multi-modal tunability via strain. However, fabricating these membranes is challenging due to the scarcity of etchable sacrificial layers with compatible lattice constants and sufficient surface quality. We address this issue by utilizing La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) as a sacrificial layer, enabling successful fabrication of millimeter-scale Cr2O3 membranes. Substrate-free characterization reveals that strain due to the lattice mismatch during growth is released by the formation of small polycrystalline domains, preserving single-crystalline order over ~90% of the membrane area. Bulk-like structural properties are confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and second-harmonic generation spectroscopy. Platinum Hall measurements reveal an above-room-temperature Néel transition. These results establish Cr2O3 membranes as a viable platform for strain-tuning antiferromagnetism and magnetoelectricity.
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BibTeX
@misc{blake2026freestanding,
title = {{Freestanding Antiferromagnetic Oxide Membranes: Synthesis and Characterization of Cr$_2$O$_3$}},
author = {Ella Blake and Tiffany C. Wang and Yi Cui and Minyong Han and Yinchuan Lv and Christopher T. Parzyck and Octave Duros and Yan Che and Matthias C. Hoffmann and Wei-Sheng Lee and Yi Cui and Harold Y. Hwang},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.15766},
eprint = {2609.15766},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.15766},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Freestanding Antiferromagnetic Oxide Membranes: Synthesis and Characterization of Cr_2O_3
AU - Ella Blake
AU - Tiffany C. Wang
AU - Yi Cui
AU - Minyong Han
AU - Yinchuan Lv
AU - Christopher T. Parzyck
AU - Octave Duros
AU - Yan Che
AU - Matthias C. Hoffmann
AU - Wei-Sheng Lee
AU - Yi Cui
AU - Harold Y. Hwang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.15766
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.15766
AB - Antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulators stand out as a promising class of materials for fast switching, energy-efficient magnon-based technology, but our understanding of how to tune these properties with the lattice remains limited. As an AFM insulator with strong magnetoelectric response, Cr_2O_3 membranes stand out as a promising platform to explore multi-modal tunability via strain. However, fabricating these membranes is challenging due to the scarcity of etchable sacrificial layers with compatible lattice constants and sufficient surface quality. We address this issue by utilizing La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO_3 (LSMO) as a sacrificial layer, enabling successful fabrication of millimeter-scale Cr_2O_3 membranes. Substrate-free characterization reveals that strain due to the lattice mismatch during growth is released by the formation of small polycrystalline domains, preserving single-crystalline order over ~90% of the membrane area. Bulk-like structural properties are confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and second-harmonic generation spectroscopy. Platinum Hall measurements reveal an above-room-temperature Néel transition. These results establish Cr_2O_3 membranes as a viable platform for strain-tuning antiferromagnetism and magnetoelectricity.
ER -