Topographic characterization of (Zr, Mn) co-doped bismuth ferrite thin film surfaces

The present work focuses on the investigations on the optical and morphological characteristics of (Zr, Mn) co-doped Bismuth ferrite thin films. Undoped Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃ ) and (Zr, Mn) co-doped Bismuth ferrite (ZMBFO) thin films were spin-coated on Pt/TiO₂ /Ti/SiO₂ /Si substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was utilized to confirm the rhombohedral structure and the Scherrer formula was used to calculate the crystallite size of the films. The optical properties were explored using UV-visible spectroscopy and the bandgap energies were calculated using a Tauc plot. The surface morphology of the films was explored with the help of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the three-dimensional (3-D) surface features were determined using stereometric analyses. The variation of 3-D surface parameters was identified to be the consequence of doping.