Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is a widely used material with applications ranging from piezoelectric sensors to developing non-volatile memory devices. Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 films were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering at a temperature range of (500–600) °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated the perovskite phase formation in samples synthesized at 550 °C, which agrees with Raman data analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements supplemented XRD data and showed the formation of dense PZT microstructures. Further X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed that the Zr/Ti ratio corresponds to the Pb(Zr0.58Ti0.42)O3 content. Dielectric measurement of the same sample indicated dielectric permittivity to be around 150 at room temperature, possibly due to the defects in the structure. P-E measurements show ferroelectric behavior at a temperature range of (50–180) °C. It was found that the remnant polarization increased with temperature, and at the same time, coercive field values decreased. Such behavior can be attributed to energetically deep defects.
1 October 2023 in ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology
Multiferroic materials, which exhibit simultaneous ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism, and ferro-elasticity, have attracted significant attention due to their multifunctional properties. Coupling between ferroelectric and magnetic properties has led to the development of non-volatile memory devices, transducers, magnetic field sensors, and other applications. Pb2Fe2O5 (PFO) is a promising multiferroic material due to it simultaneously exhibiting ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism at room temperature. Doping with aliovalent ions, such as Cr3+, has been proposed as an effective method for enhancing the ferroelectric and magnetic properties, consequently leading to the enhancement of multiferroic properties. The investigation shows that the lead ferrite phase (220) was present in all samples, but its abundance reduced with increasing synthesis temperature due to lead desorption. Dielectric measurements revealed that PFO films with highest Cr concentration had the highest polarization (Pr) of 72.2 μC cm−2. The study also found that the magnetization of PFO films was up to 9.5·10−7μAm2 at an ambient temperature of 5 K, and the magnetic ordering temperature was 363 K, corresponding to the magnetic ordering temperature of chromium oxides. The morphology of Cr doped PFO films changed with increasing chromium content, resulting in a reduction in grain size and an increase in the film density.