Atomic Structure of BiFeO3-BiCrO3 film on (111) SrTiO3 Grown by Dual Cross Beam Pulsed Laser Deposition

The existence of unexpected magnetic ordering at room temperature in the multiferroic double perovskite Bi2FeCrO6 (BFCO) thin film synthesized by conventional pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has been attributed to the exchange interaction between the alternating planes of Fe and Cr cations along [111] direction.[1] The properties of this material have partially confirmed the theoretical predictions by Baettig and Spaldin in terms of magnetic moment and polarization at 0 K.[2] In order to observe the exchange interaction as the function of the distance of separation between Fe and Cr cations, the composition of the thin film was modified by controlling the BiFeO3 / BiCrO3 ratio during deposition using dual crossed beam PLD.