  We report on the growth and functional characterization of epitaxial thin
films of the multiferroic YMnO3. We show that using Pt as a seed layer on
SrTiO3(111) substrates, epitaxial YMnO3 films (0001) textured are obtained. An
atomic force microscope has been used to polarize electric domains revealing
the ferroelectric nature of the film. When a Permalloy layer is grown on top of
the YMnO3(0001) film, clear indications of exchange bias and enhanced
coercivity are observed at low temperature. The observation of coexisting
antiferromagnetism and electrical polarization suggests that the biferroic
character of YMnO3 can be exploited in novel devices.
