Preparation and characterization of Bi-doped LuFeO3 thin films grown on LaNiO3 substrate

•Bi-doped LuFeO3 thin films have been prepared on LaNiO3 coated silicon substrates.•Bi dopant could improve the ferroelectric properties of the LuFeO3 thin film.•The “U” shaped frequency loss tangent curves were discussed.

The multiferroic thin films of Lu1−xBixFeO3 (LBFOx, 0≤x≤0.10) were firstly prepared on LaNiO3 coating silicon substrates by the sol–gel method. Structural and morphological characterization of the LBFOx thin films was investigated by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy, respectively. The remnant polarization of Bi-doped LuFeO3 thin film at room temperature reached to 3.1 and 3.6 μC/cm2 for x=0.05 and 0.10 at the electric field of 700 kV/cm, respectively. The ferroelectric polarization measurements indicate that the potential role of Bi doping in increasing the value of the polarization of LuFeO3 film, and the mechanisms for the U shaped frequency loss tangent curves was discussed.