Structural, electrical and multiferroic properties of La-doped mullite Bi2Fe4O9 thin films

Highlights: • Chemical solution deposited La-doped Bi{sub 2}Fe{sub 4}O{sub 9} thin film. • Structural, electrical and multiferroic properties were investigated. • La-doped Bi{sub 2}Fe{sub 4}O{sub 9} exhibited enhanced electrical and multiferroic properties. - Abstract: Thin films of (Bi{sub 2−x}La{sub x})Fe{sub 4}O{sub 9} (x = 0 and x = 0.05) were prepared on Pt(1 1 1)/Ti/SiO{sub 2}/Si(1 0 0) substrates by using a chemical solution deposition method to investigate structural, microstructural, electrical and multiferroic properties. Both the thin films were crystallized in mullite type phases with orthorhombic structures containing no secondary and impurity phases, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies. The (Bi{sub 1.95}La{sub 0.05})Fe{sub 4}O{sub 9} thin film exhibited improved electrical and multiferroic properties at room-temperature. The leakage current density of the (Bi{sub 1.95}La{sub 0.05})Fe{sub 4}O{sub 9} thin film was one order of magnitude lower than that of the Bi{sub 2}Fe{sub 4}O{sub 9} thin film. Furthermore, in the thin film form, (Bi{sub 2−x}La{sub x})Fe{sub 4}O{sub 9} exhibited better stability against electrical breakdowns and enhanced multiferroic properties.