Enhanced multiferroic properties of the high-valence Pr doped BiFeO3 thin film

Abstract

High-valence Pr-doped BiFeO3 (BPF) multiferroic thin film was prepared by pulsed laser deposition on a Pt∕TiO2∕SiO2∕Si substrate. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the BPF film is of pure phase with a polycrystalline perovskite structure. The BPF film exhibited enhanced multiferroic properties: (i) a rectangular-shaped electric hysteresis loop with a large Pr of 75μC∕cm2 and a low Ec of 250kV∕cm at Emax ∼620kV∕cm, (ii) a saturated magnetic hysteresis loop with a large Ms of 58emu∕cm3, and (iii) a fatigue-free behavior after being subjected to 1.2×109 switching cycles, which were superior to, in some aspects, those of La- or Nd-doped BiFeO3 films reported before.