Epitaxial BiFeO3 thin films on Si

BiFeO3 was studied as an alternative environmentally clean ferro/piezoelectric material. 200-nm-thick BiFeO3 films were grown on Si substrates with SrTiO3 as a template layer and SrRuO3 as bottom electrode. X-ray and transmission electron microscopy studies confirmed the epitaxial growth of the films. The spontaneous polarization of the films was similar to45 muC/cm(2). Retention measurement up to several days showed no decay of polarization. A piezoelectric coefficient (d(33)) of similar to60 pm/V was observed, which is promising for applications in micro-electro-mechanical systems and actuators. (C) American Institute of Physics.