Enhancement of Magnetization in Er Doped Bifeo3 Thin Film

Pure BiFeO3 and Er-doped BiFeO3 (Bi0.9Er0.1FeO3) thin films were successfully fabricated on cleaned Si (100) substrates by a simple spin-coating processing. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy indicated the substitutions of Er into the Bi site and a change in crystal structure in Bi0.9Er0.1FeO3 thin film. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope were used to analyze the morphologies and microstructures of the thin films. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy result indicated that the oxidation state of Fe ion was Fe3+ in the Bi0.9Er0.1FeO3 thin film without detectable Fe2+. In comparison with the BiFeO3 thin film studied here, the Bi0.9Er0.1FeO3 thin film showed the surprising remnant magnetization and saturation magnetization. The remnant magnetization of Bi0.9Er0.1FeO3 thin film was nearly 5 times as large as that of BiFeO3 thin film. Moreover, the possible reasons for the enhancement of magnetization were discussed in detail. These results will have some implications for further research.