Synthesis of Bi(FexAl1-x)O3 Thin Films by Pulsed Laser Deposition and Its Structural Characterization

We have been attempting to synthesize perovskite BiAlO3 as a new lead-free piezoelectric material. No indication of the formation of the BiAlO3 phase by the bulk ceramic processing or thin film processing has been obtained. Therefore, we undertook to synthesize a solid solution of BiAlO3 and BiFeO3, which has a stable perovskite structure and contains Bi as a component element. Bi(Fe x Al1-x )O3 solid solution could not be obtained by bulk ceramic processing. However, we succeeded in the fabrication of single-phase Bi(Fe x Al1-x )O3 thin films on (001) SrTiO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The crystal structure was revealed to be rhombohedral at x=1 and tetragonal at x=0.9.