Electrical reliability and leakage mechanisms in highly resistive multiferroic La0.1 Bi0.9 FeO3 ceramics

Abstract

Multiferroic La0.1 Bi0.9 FeO3 (LBFO) ceramics with high resistivity were synthesized by using a modified rapid thermal process. The LBFO ceramics show very low leakage and low dielectric loss. Well saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops and polarization switching currents have been observed. For a maximum applied electric field of 145 kV/cm, the remanent polarization is 17.8 μC/ cm2 and the coercive filed is 75 kV/cm. The dominant conduction mechanism in the LBFO ceramics has been found to be the space-charge-limited current mechanism rather than the thermal excitation mechanism. Electrical reliability related to the fatigue and polarization retention of the LBFO ceramics has also been discussed with the leakage mechanisms. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.