N. Dix, R. Muralidharan, M. Varela, J. Fontcuberta, and F. Sánchez
Appl. Phys. Lett. 100, 122905 (2012)
LINK
Quasi-tetragonal BiFeO3 (T-BFO) multiferroic oxide is receiving much attention due to prospects of enhanced ferroelectric polarization and close-to-room-temperature phase transitions. Here, we report on the role of deposition temperature on the stabilization of the T-BFO phase on LaAlO3(001) substrates. T-BFO has only been obtained in a narrow temperature window. We will show that competitive formation of rhombohedral BFO and thermal decomposition at lower and higher temperatures, respectively, bounds the stability range of T-BFO. However, we show that addition of a secondary spinel phase, creating vertical interfaces, extends the formation range of T-BFO.
