Effect of Concentration of Nd3+ on the Photoluminescence and Ferroelectric Properties of Bi4-xNdxTi3O12 Films

Lead-free films of Bi4-xNdxTi3O12 were deposited on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrate via spin-coating methods. It is shown that there are no secondary phases in the films of Bi4-xNdxTi3O12 and clear interfaces between the films of Bi4-xNdxTi3O12 and substrates when the films are annealed at 700 °C. And the films of Bi4-xNdxTi3O12 also exhibit a blue light emission peak at 437 nm and a yellow light emission peak at 580 nm. There are narrower band gaps, greater values of dielectric constant and lower values of dielectric loss when the concentration of Nd3+ varies from 0 to 0.85. And the films of Bi4-xNdxTi3O12 possess the minimum of band gap energy (2.67 eV). Moreover, the films of Bi4-xNdxTi3O12 exhibit minimal leakage current density and maximal remanent polarization, which is highly beneficial for the potential applications in multi-functional devices.