A giant polarization value in bismuth ferrite thin films

An approach is used to improve the remanent polarization of BiFeO3 thin films, where the BiFe0.96Zn0.04O3 thin film with (1 1 1) orientation was grown on the SrRuO3/SrTiO3(1 1 1) substrate by rf sputtering. A higher dielectric constant and a lower dielectric loss are demonstrated for the BiFe0.96Zn0.04O3 thin film as compared with those of pure BiFeO3 thin film. The introduction of Zn deteriorates the magnetic properties of BFO thin films. A giant polarization value of 2P(r) similar to 268.5 mu C/cm(2) is induced for the BiFe0.96Zn0.04O3 thin film as confirmed by PUND, owing to the (1 1 1) orientation, the introduction of Zn, and a low leakage current density. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.