Greatly reduced leakage current in BiFeO3 thin film by oxygen ion implantation

Oxygen ions are implanted into BiFeO3 films on LaNiO3/SrTiO3(1 0 0) substrates. The evolution of films is characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The leakage current density of the implanted films is lowered by two orders of magnitude in comparison with unimplanted BFO films. The mechanisms for reduced leakage current in BiFeO3 thin films are discussed.