Fabrication and characterization of the multiferroic birelaxor lead-iron-tungstate/lead-zirconate-titanate

We compare chemical solution deposition (CSD) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD), specimens of the room temperature, single-phase, multiferroic magnetoelectric, [PbFe(0.67)W(0.33)O(3)](x)[PbZr(0.53)Ti(0.47)O(3)](1-x) (PZTFW(x)similar to 0.40 <x <0.20) with high polarization, low loss (similar to 2%-5%), and high resistivity (typically 10(8) Omega cm). Single phase polycrystalline multiferroics PZTFW(x) thin films were fabricated on platinized silicon substrate by CSD and as epitaxial single-crystal films on MgO (100) substrate by PLD. PLD grown samples showed high dielectric constants (1200-3000), high polarization (30-60 mu C/cm(2)), and weak saturation magnetization (2.11-5.47 emu/cm(3)) compare to the dielectric constants (800-1400), polarization (11-22 mu C/cm(2)), and magnetization (0.48-4.53 emu/cm(3)) of CSD grown films, where as a broad dielectric temperature peak, high- frequency dispersion, low dielectric loss, and low leakage current were observed in these materials synthesized by both methods, suggesting the family as candidates for room temperature multiferroic devices. The ferroelectric switching in these materials can be suppressed or quenched with applied magnetic field. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3481411 ]