Structural, electrical, and multiferroic properties of (Nd, Zn) co-doped BiFeO3 thin films prepared by a chemical solution deposition method

Abstract

The effects of Nd and Zn co-doping on the structural, electrical, and multiferroic properties of the BiFeO3 thin film were investigated. Pure BiFeO3 (BFO) and (Nd, Zn) co-doped Bi0.9Nd0.1Fe0.975Zn0.025O3−δ (BNFZO) thin films were prepared on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrates by using a chemical solution deposition method. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering analyses revealed the formation of polycrystalline distorted rhombohedral perovskite structures for both of the thin films. As compared to the pure BFO, a low leakage current density of 6.68 × 10−5 A/cm2 (at 100 kV/cm), large remnant polarization (2P r ) of 60 μC/cm2, and low coercive field (2E c ) of 773 kV/cm (at 1,000 kV/cm) were observed for the co-doped BNFZO thin film. Furthermore, the BNFZO thin film showed enhanced magnetization when compared to the BFO thin film. These results indicate that the randomly oriented BNFZO thin film would be a useful nontoxic alternative for lead-containing multiferroic applications.