Pulsed Laser Deposition and Characterization of Bi_4−xNd_xTi₃O₁₂ Thin Films

Abstract

Since the discovery of fatigue free La doped Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ films, considerable interest has been shown in studying the effects of various other rare earth dopants (e.g. Nd, Sm) on the ferroelectric properties of this material for applications in non-volatile ferroelectric random access memories. We have grown Nd-doped films from a ceramic target of composition Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti₃O₁₂ by pulsed laser ablation. Epitaxial films (c-axis and non-c-axis oriented) have been grown on strontium titanate substrates of different crystallographic orientations to study the effect of film orientation on ferroelectric properties. Films have been characterized using X-ray diffraction. Ferroelectric measurements have been performed to investigate the dependence of film properties on crystallographic orientation.

†Paper originally presented at 10th European Meeting on Ferroelectricity, Cambridge, U.K., August 3–8, 2003.

Keywords:

• Ferroelectric
• thin films
• pulsed laser ablation
• bismuth titanate

Acknowledgements

A. Garg would like to thank Downing College, Cambridge for financial support during this work and Dr. A. Q. Xiang, Mr. M. Dawber, and Mr. D. J. Jung for their help with the ferroelectric measurements.

Notes

†Paper originally presented at 10th European Meeting on Ferroelectricity, Cambridge, U.K., August 3–8, 2003.