Study of Ga(2−x)FexO3 solid solution: Optimisation of the ceramic processing

Magnetoelectrics are experiencing a renewal of interest in the recent years. These materials can be used as new data storage applications. The MeRAMs (Magnetoelectric Random Access Memories) actually combine the advantages of the magnetic random access memories (MRAMs) in terms of access time and endurance with those of the ferroelectric ones (FeRAMs) in terms of writing energy. Ga2−xFexO3 (GFO) represents a good alternative to the perovskites usually studied for magnetoelectric applications as it is known to be polar, ferrimagnetic above room temperature for x ≥ 1.4, and magnetoelectric.The proposed work is to establish a complete study of the Ga2−xFexO3 ceramic processing for x from 0.7 to 1.4, optimising each fabrication step to obtain high quality materials. A diagram highlighting the opposing compounds in GFO solid solution has been established depending on the Fe/Ga ratio and the calcination temperature. Moreover the optimised ceramics exhibit significant improvements of the magnetic order temperatures.