Abstract

Calcium (Ca)-doped bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) thin films prepared by using the polymeric precursor method (PPM) were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), polarization and magnetic measurements. Structural studies by XRD and Rietveld refinement reveal the co-existence of distorted rhombohedral and tetragonal phases in the highest doped BiFeO3 (BFO) where enhanced ferroelectric and magnetic properties are produced by internal strain. A high coercive field in the hysteresis loop is observed for the BiFeO3 film. Fatigue and retention free characteristics are improved in the highest Ca-doped sample due to changes in the crystal structure of BFO for a primitive cubic perovskite lattice with four-fold symmetry and a large tetragonal distortion within the crystal domain. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.