Magnetic domain-wall motion study under an electric field in a Finemet®Finemet® thin film on flexible substrate

• Elastic strain effect on the magnetic domain structure of a Finemet/Kapton is investigated.
• External loading is applied thanks to a piezo-actuator on which the sample is glued.
• The amount of strains was measured by the Digital Image Correlation technique.
• Magnetic Force Microscopy showed high mobility of magnetic stripes domains.
• Bending, curving and branching of domains go into maze-like pattern.

We study the influence of applied in-plane elastic strains on the static magnetic configuration of a 530 nm magnetostrictive FeCuNbSiB (Finemet®)(Finemet®) thin film. The in-plane strains are induced via the application of a voltage to a piezoelectric actuator on which the film/substrate system was glued. A quantitative characterization of the voltage dependence of the induced-strain at the surface of the film was performed using a digital image correlation technique. Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) images at remanence (H=0 Oe and U=0 V) clearly reveal the presence of weak stripe domains. The effect of the voltage-induced strain shows the existence of a voltage threshold value for the strike configuration break. For a maximum strain of εXX~0.5×10−3εXX~0.5×10−3 we succeed in destabilizing the stripes configuration helping the setting up of a complete homogeneous magnetic pattern.