Multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films prepared via a simple sol-gel method

Single-phase multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films were grown on (111) Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates via a simple sol-gel spin-coating technique, as evidenced by x-ray diffraction. The thickness of the films can be controlled by the number of layers spin coated. Scanning electron microscope confirmed good surface and cross-section morphology of the films. Obvious multiferroic behavior with small saturation polarization but high saturation magnetization was observed in the films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to examine the combination state of Fe 2p electron in the BiFeO3 films. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.