Reduced ferroelectric coercivity in multiferroic Bi0.825Nd0.175FeO3 thin film

Bi0.825Nd0.175FeO3 (BNFO) thin film is grown on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition, and its multiferroic properties are compared with those of BiFeO3 (BFO) thin film. With limited Fe2+ ions and its twinborn oxygen vacancies, both samples show low dielectric losses of < 0.026 at 100 Hz and high maximum ferroelectric polarizations of similar to 34 mu C/cm(2). The ferroelectric coercive field of BNFO is reduced by similar to 40%, reaching a low value of 235 kV/cm, compared to that of BFO due to the increased ratio of 180 degrees and curved ferroelectric domains to total ferroelectric domains and better nucleation of the ferroelectric domains at the BNFO/Pt interface. The Raman scattering spectra confirm that the ferroelectric polarizations of both samples originate in the stereochemical activity of the Bi lone electron pair. Weak ferromagnetism is observed in both samples as a result of the limited amount of Fe2+ ions and gamma-Fe2O3 impurity. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.