Pr and Gd co-doped bismuth ferrite thin films with enhanced multiferroic properties

Pr and Gd co-modified Bi0.951-xPrxGd0.05FeO3 (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10) (BPGFO) thin films on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrates were prepared by a sol-gel together with spin coating technique. A detailed study of electrical and magnetic properties of these thin films is reported. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that, with an increase in Pr content, the crystal structures of BPGFO thin films retain rhombohedral (R3c) symmetry accompanied by structure distortion. Polarization-electric field hysteresis loops of these thin films demonstrate that the incorporation of Pr and Gd into the Bi site of BiFeO3 thin film could enhance the ferroelectric performance. Compared to other thin films, the optimal ferroelectric behaviours in Bi0.951-xPrxGd0.05FeO3 thin film are ascribed to its large dielectric constant, low dissipation factor and low leakage current density. Room temperature magnetization-magnetic field curves of these thin films indicate that all the samples are of paramagnetic behaviours and the enhanced saturation magnetic properties can be found.