Comparative study on aging effect in BiFeO3 thin films substituted at A- and B-sites

Typical characteristics of aging effect, double hysteresis loops, were observed in (100)(pseudocubic)-oriented Bi0.95Ca0.05FeO3 (BCFO) and BiFe0.95Ni0.05O3 (BFNO) films grown on LaNiO3(100)/Si substrates. The double hysteresis loops for BCFO film become less "constrained" with increasing applied voltage compared to that for BFNO, indicating that the aging effect is more severe in the latter. This can be demonstrated by the lower leakage current and smaller dielectric constant for BFNO. These phenomena are explained based on the crystal structure and defect chemistry. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3672212]