Growth and characterization of multiferroic BiMnO3 thin films

We have grown epitaxial thin films of multiferroic BiMnO3 using pulsed laser deposition. The films were grown on SrTiO3 001 substrates by ablating a Bi-rich target. Using x-ray diffraction, we confirmed that the films were epitaxial and the stoichiometry of the films was confirmed using Auger electron spectroscopy. The films have a ferromagnetic Curie temperature (TC) of 85 +/- 65 K and a saturation magnetization of 1 mu(B)/Mn. The electric polarization as a function of electric field (P-E) was measured using an interdigital capacitance geometry. The P-E plot shows a clear hysteresis that confirms the multiferroic nature of the thin films. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3561860]