Nanomechanical characterization of multiferroic thin films for micro-electromechanical systems

Abstract

In this paper, the elastic properties of Dy modified BiFeO3 (BDFO) multiferroic films deposited on Si substrate are reported for the first time. The mechanical properties are extracted using nanoindentation technique. The Young's modulus and hardness of the BDFO films are found to be 140 ± 3 GPa and 7.5 ± 0.3 GPa respectively. In this study the properties in the region of penetration depth up to 20% of BDFO film thickness, are found out. For these indentation depths, Young's modulus and hardness are almost constant indicating that substrate effects are not significant. It is also confirmed that neither cracks, nor pile-ups can be observed for indentation loads up to 10 mN. However, at higher indentation loads (>10 mN), bulging and spallation are observed suggesting delamination and buckling of the film. The mechanical properties of BDFO films are similar to that reported for lead zirconate titanate (PZT), while offering many novel properties. This report is accordingly expected to facilitate the design of BDFO-based micro-electromechanical systems devices.