Structural properties, optical, electrical and magnetic behavior of bismuth doped Gd3Fe5O12 prototype garnet

The co-existence of magnetism and semi-conducting property in a material around room temperature has potential for application in the field of spintronics. The rare-earth iron garnets with high Curie temperature can be tuned by doping them with suitable elements to have properties useful for device applications. In this context, the structural, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties of bismuth doped Gd3-xBixFe5O12 (x = 0.05 & 0.09), synthesized from ball milled stoichiometric oxide precursors, are studied. Structural deformation due to doping is not prominent from the Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffractograms. A minimal increase in the band gap is observed with increase in Bi concentration. A shift in the Curie point towards the high temperature region is observed, ascribed to the stabilizing effect of Bi ion on magnetic ordering. The P-E loops show low coercivity dictating their linear capacitive behavior.