The effect of deposition rate and temperature on the structure and ferroelectric properties of pulsed laser deposited Bi_0.95Dy_0.05FeO₃ thin films

In this study, the structural and ferroelectric properties of Bi0.95Dy0.05FeO3 (BDFO) thin films prepared using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) under various deposition rates (D-r) and substrate temperatures (T-s) are investigated. Regardless of D-r in the range of 1.0-3.0 & Aring;/s, a predominant crystallographic orientation, BDFO(001), and similar microstructure are consistently identified for BDFO films at T-s = 500 degrees C. Stress analysis revealed the distinct stress states with D-r. Ferroelectric properties might depend on stress in this case. The compressive stress found for the film at D-r = 3.0 & Aring;/s results in enhanced polarization, with a 2P(r) of 180 mu C/cm(2). In contrast, tensile stress for the film at D-r = 1.0 & Aring;/s exhibits a lower 2P(r) = 106 mu C/cm(2). Besides, XRD results for the films at different T-s demonstrated that the optimal temperature for BDFO growth is T-s = 500 degrees C, which exhibits the lowest leakage current density due to the suppressed vacancies and improved crystallinity. These findings provide comprehensive insights into the structural and ferroelectric properties of BDFO films, elucidating the impact of deposition rate on their characteristics, and significantly improving ferroelectric properties of BDFO films for the applications.