Observation of saturated polarization and dielectric anomaly in magnetoelectric BiFeO3 thin films

We report here synthesis of phase-pure magnetoelectric BiFeO3 thin films with controlled oxygen stoichiometry on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate using pulsed-laser deposition technique. Saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loop has been observed in phase-pure and highly resistive BiFeO3 thin films. The dielectric response study of the films with temperature indicates an anomaly in dielectric constant epsilon(T), in the vicinity of Neel temperature (similar to380 degreesC). This anomaly in epsilon(T) is explained as an influence of vanishing magnetic ordering on electric ordering of magnetoelectric BiFeO3 sample. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.