Characterization of polycrystalline BiFeO₃ films prepared by magnetic-field-assisted 90° off-axis pulsed laser deposition

Abstract

Polycrystalline BiFeO3 (BFO) films were prepared on Pt / TiO2 / SiO2 / Si substate by using magnetic-field-assisted 90° off-axis pulsed laser deposition (PLD). We have successfully obtained polycrystalline BFO films owing to a high deposition rate derived by a confinement of the plume under a magnetic field. The obtained polycrystalline BFO films have a droplet-free surface morphology and a columnar-like microstructure. A room-temperature ferroelectric hysteresis loop is obtained, and at same time, the remanent polarization of 90 μC/cm2 and the reduced coercive field of 178 kV/cm are confirmed. Also, an evolution of the polarization switching is observed by the piezoresponse force microscopy. In this study, we provide a possible route to realize the polycrystalline film growth which has a good quality in 90° off-axis deposition system by using magnetic-field-assisted PLD.