Stable electric polarization switching accompanied by magnetization reversal in B -site-substituted multiferroic BiFe 0.9 Co 0.1 O 3 thin films

We report the substitution of manganese or scandium as a third element into the B-site of multiferroic BiFe0.9Co0.1O3 thin film in the ABO3 perovskite structure. Stable electric polarization switching via a biased cantilever was achieved multiple times in the BiFe0.892Co0.1Mn0.008O3 and BiFe0.87Co0.1Sc0.03O3 on SrTiO3 (001) while the piezoresponse force microscope (PFM) image after the poling was inhomogeneous and was not reversible in BiFe0.9Co0.1O3 thin film on SrTiO3 (001). Although the electric domains are fragmented by Mn substitution, magnetization reversal by electric field was observed in the BiFe0.892Co0.1Mn0.008O3 thin film as well as in the BiFe0.9Co0.1O3 on GdScO3 (110) studied previously.