Electrical and Optical Properties of Thin-Film Bismuth Ferrite

The optical and electrical properties of bismuth ferrite thin films obtained by high-frequency magnetron sputtering in an atmosphere of argon and oxygen (80% + 20%) has been studied. Investigations of the optical properties have shown that for polycrystalline bismuth ferrite films the optical band gap is similar to 2.3 eV, which is in the range of given in the literature values. The dependences of the specific electrical conductivity on the magnitude of the electric field has been studied for the synthesized films. It has been established that the electrical conductivity does not depend on the electric field strength up to the value of E = 2.1 x 10(6) V/m. The experimental results are discussed in terms of the model of charge carrier injection from aluminum electrode into the conduction band of bismuth ferrite.