Effect of laser fluence on multiferroic BiFeO3 ferroelectricphotovoltaic cells

Abstract Perovskites (ABO3) are suitable for a wide range of applications because of their abundance, resistance to corrosion, and various properties, such as piezoelectricity, ferroelectricity, and ferromagnetism. Solar energy harvesting from ferroelectric materials has attracted much interest among researchers due to the generation of above band-gap photovoltages and switchable photoelectric responses, which are improvements compared with conventional photovoltaic mechanisms. Rhombohedrically distorted perovskite bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3 or BFO) has been explored widely in recent years because of its multiferroic properties at room temperature. Therefore, in the present study, we analyzed the effect of laser fluence during film growth on the ferroelectric-photovoltaic applications of BFO thin films grown on transparent glass substrates coated with indium tin oxide. The ferroelectric properties increased with the laser fluence and large photovoltaic responses were obtained, and thus these films may be suitable for applications in energy harvesting.