Improved Polarization Retention of BiFeO3 Thin Films Using GdScO3(110)Substrates

Epitaxial ferroelectric one direction over the thin fihns on single-crystal substrates generally show a preferred domain orientation in other in demonstration of a poor polarization retention. This behavior will affect their application in nonvolatile ferroelectric random access memories where bipolar polarization states are used to store the logic 0 and 1 data. Here the retention characteristics of BiFe03 thin films with Srftu03 bottom electrodes on both GdSc03 （110） and SrTiO3 （100） substrates are studied and compared, and the results of piezoresponse force microscopy provide a long time retention property of the films on two substrates. It is found that bismuth ferrite thin films grown on GdScO3 substrates show no preferred domain variants in comparison with the preferred downward polarization orientation toward bottom electrodes on SrTi03 substrates. Tile retention test from a positive-up domain to a negative-down domain using a signal generator and an oscilloscope coincidentally shows bistable polarization states on the GdSeOa substrate over a measuring time of 500s, unlike the preferred domain orientation on SrTi03, where more than 65~o of upward domains disappear after 1 s. In addition, different sizes of domains have been written and read by using the scanning tip of piezoresponse force microscopy, where the polarization can stabilize over one month. This study paves one route to improve the polarization retention property through the optimization of the lattice-mismatched stresses between films and substrates.

Local leakage current behaviours of BiFeO_3 films

The leakage current behaviours of polycrystalline BiFeO3 thin films are investigated by using both conductive atomic force microscopy and current-voltage characteristic measurements. The local charge transport pathways are found to be located mainly at the grain boundaries of the films. The leakage current density can be tuned by changing the post-annealing temperature, the annealing time, the bias voltage and the light illumination, which can be used to improve the performances of the ferroelectric devices based on the BiFeOa films. A possible leakage mechanism is proposed to interpret the charge transports in the polycrystalline BiFeO3 films.

Off-stoichiometry indexation of BiFeO_3 thin film on silicon by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry

BiFeO3 is a multiferroic material with physical properties very sensitive to its stoichiometry.BiFeO3 thin films on silicon substrate are prepared by the sol–gel method combined with layer-by-layer annealing and final annealing schemes.X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy are employed to probe the phase structures and surface morphologies.Using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry to quantify the nonstoichiometries of BiFeO3 thin films annealed at 100？C–650？C.The results indicate that Bi and Fe cations are close to the stoichiometry of BiFeO3,whereas the deficiency of O anions possibly plays a key role in contributing to the leakage current of 10^-5 A/cm^2 in a wide range of applied voltage rather than the ferroelectric polarizations of BiFeO3 thin films annealed at high temperature.

Effect of Tb Doping on Structural and Electrical Properties of BiFeO_3 Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Technique

Bil_xTbxFe03 thin films were prepared on Sn02 （fluorine doped tin oxide） substrates by a sol-gel method. The structural and electrical properties of the BiFe03 thin films were characterized and tested. The results indicated that the diffraction peak of the Tb-doped BiFe03 films was shifted towards right as the doping amounts were increased. The structure was transformed from the rhombohedral to tetragonal/orthorhombic phase. The Bio.sgTbo.11Fe03 thin film showed the well-developed P-E loops, which enhanced remnant polarization （Pr = 88.05 μC/cm2） at room temperature. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of Bio.sgTbo.llFe03 thin film at 100 kHz were 185 and 0.018, respectively. Furthermore, the Bio.seTbo.llFe03 thin film showed a relatively low leakage current density of 2.07×10-5 A/cm2 at an applied electric field of 150 kV/cm. The X- ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） spectra indicated that the presence of Fe2＋ ions in the Bio.egTbo.11Fe03 thin film was less than that in the pure BiFe03.