Effect of pore size on ferroelectric properties of multiferroic BiFeO3 films prepared on porous silicon

The ferroelectric properties of BiFeO3 (BFO) films spray deposited on porous silicon have been studied. The analysis of XRD and FESEM investigations show that the crystalline strain in the BFO films increases with pore size. The BFO films on porous silicon substrate showed improvement in ferroelectric fatigue behavior, remanent polarization and ferroelectric switching time. A maximum memory window of 5.54 V at 1 MHz and a large remanent polarization (Pr) of 13.1 μC/cm2 have been obtained at room temperature. The improvement in the ferroelectric properties of these films has been correlated to the crystalline strain.

► The aerosols-spray pyrolysis technique enables growth of nano-crystalline films on porous silicon template.
► The faster ferroelectric switching in BiFeO3.
► Fatigue free nature and low loss tangent of BiFeO3, which suggests their potential for device application.
► Spray pyrolysis technique is simple and low cost.