The sweep rate dependence of the electrical control of magnetic coercivity

The sweep rate dependence of the coercive field in magnetic thin films is well-known. Here we present an experimental investigation of the dependence of electric field control of magnetization on the magnetic field sweep rate. Our sample is a ferroelectric/ferromagnetic heterostructure, with a soft polymer ferroelectric in contact with a transition metal ferromagnet, Co. Previous work on these heterostructures revealed a large change in coercive field and anisotropy when the ferroelectric polarization was switched from up to down. The present work shows that faster sweep rates increase the changes in coercive field that arise from switching the ferroelectric polarization. Our data indicate that the field sweep rate is an important parameter in the investigation of magnetoelectric coupling