Preparation and properties of Bi_4-xLa_xTi₃O₁₂thin films by chemical solution deposition

Abstract

Abstract Bi4-xLaxTi3O12 (BLTx) thin films were prepared by chemical solution deposition and characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron probe micro-analysis, electric and optical measurements. Layered perovskite BLTx films, with compositions close to their respective nominal compositions, can be obtained by 180 s annealing at a temperature as low as 650 °C. Hysteresis measurement reveals that BLT0.75 thin films have the largest remanent polarization, 12.3 μC/cm2 at 200 kV/cm maximum field for 650 °C annealed films. Fatigue-free characteristic of BLT0.75 thin films is observed by high field, high frequency cycling. Optical transmittance measurements show that the absorption edge shifts to lower wavenumbers with increasing La substitution.