Sc-Implanted BiFeO3 Thin Film

Giant Ferroelectric Polarization

A scandium-implanted bismuth ferrite thin film that simultaneously enhances ferroelectric polarization and suppresses leakage current, overcoming scaling-induced multiferroic degradation.

Yongshen, Lu · Wen, Zhang · Ziheng, Chen · Fangwang, Fu · Zhang, Jinyong · Ren, Lin · Wang, Weimin · Zhang, Fan · Zhengyi, Fu

Journal of Materials Science and Technology 2026

Specifications

Ferroelectric polarization

{'zh': '158.6', 'en': '158.6'} μC/cm²

Leakage current density

{'zh': '1e-8', 'en': '1e-8'} A/cm²

Saturation magnetization

{'zh': '0.82', 'en': '0.82'} emu/cm³

Bandgap narrowing

{'zh': '2.09', 'en': '2.09'} eV

Advantages

Large polarization enhancement

Implanted scandium ions create a quantum-confined strain field and vacancy dipole ordering, boosting polarization to 158.6 μC/cm², meeting memory window requirements.

Suppressed leakage current

Scandium–oxygen vacancy pairs autonomously optimize the local electronic environment and reduce leakage to 10⁻⁸ A/cm², reducing interference with retention.

Enhanced magnetoelectric coupling

Strain-mediated modulation of the spin–lattice interaction raises saturation magnetization to 0.82 emu/cm³, making the film's magnetism useful for devices.

Tunable bandgap

Electronic structure reconfiguration narrows the bandgap by 2.09 eV, improving carrier transport and band alignment.

Applications

• Nonvolatile Memory：High polarization and low leakage enlarge the memory window and improve retention for nonvolatile memory cells.
• Multiferroic Memory：Simultaneously enhanced polarization and magnetization enable multistate storage in a single film, simplifying device architecture.
• Magnetoelectric Devices：The strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling allows magnetic switching of polarization or electric control of magnetization.
• Oxide Electronics：The tunable bandgap and self-optimizing defects make it suitable as a functional interface layer in oxide electronics.