Magnetoelectric effect in amorphous FeNiSiC ferromagnet-piezoelectric planar structures

The magnetoelectric (ME) effect is studied in composite two- and three-layer disk structures containing magnetostriction layers of an amorphous FeNiSiC ferromagnet and a lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric layer. Due to a high magnetostriction $(\sim$ 33 $\cdot$ 10$^{-6})$ and a low saturation field ($\sim$ 200 Oe), an FeNiSiC layer has a high piezomagentic coefficient, which results in an effective ME coupling in low fields ($\sim$ 25 Oe). The ME effect is $\sim$ 0.2 V $\cdot$ cm$^{-1}$Oe$^{-1}$ at a low frequency and increases to 11.9 and 13.2 V $\cdot$ cm$^{-1}$Oe$^{-1}$ when bending and in-plane mechanical vibrations are excited in a resonance manner in the structures at frequencies of $\sim$ 8.2 and $\sim$ 170.0 kHz, respectively. Structures containing amorphous FeNiSiC layers are promising for magnetic field transducers and electric energy generators and converters.