Enhancement of magnetization in Er doped BiFeO 3 thin Film

Pure BiFeO 3 and Er-doped BiFeO 3 (Bi 0.9 Er 0.1 FeO 3 ) 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 Bi 0.9 Er 0.1 FeO 3 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 Fe 3+ in the Bi 0.9 Er 0.1 FeO 3 thin film without detectable Fe 2+ . In comparison with the BiFeO 3 thin film studied here, the Bi 0.9 Er 0.1 FeO 3 thin film showed the surprising remnant magnetization and saturation magnetization. The remnant magnetization of Bi 0.9 Er 0.1 FeO 3 thin film was nearly 5 times as large as that of BiFeO 3 thin film. Moreover, the possible reasons for the enhancement of magnetization were discussed in detail. These results will have some implications for further research.