The effect of Eu substitution on the ferroelectric properties of Bi4Ti3O12 thin films prepared by metal–organic decomposition

Abstract The effect of europium substitution on the ferroelectric properties of Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 thin films has been investigated. Ferroelectric europium-substituted Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 thin films were fabricated by spin-coating onto a Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrate. The structure and morphology of the films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. After annealing at 750 °C, Bi 3.25 Eu 0.75 Ti 3 O 12 (BET) films become crystallized and exhibit a polycrystalline structure. The BET thin films showed a large remanent polarization (2 P r ) of 60.99 μC/cm 2 at an applied voltage of 10 V. The BET thin films exhibited no significant degradation of switching charge for at least up to 5×10 9 switching cycles at a frequency of 50 kHz.