Low temperature hydrothermal epitaxy of heteroepitaxial BiFeO3 film

Heteroepitaxial BiFeO3 films were fabricated on a single crystal SrTiO3 substrate by hydrothermal epitaxy. There were two different BiFeO3 layers on the SrTiO3 substrate; first interfacial layer and bulk-like second layer. Microstructure development of the BiFeO3 film was dependent on the precursor concentration, mineralizer concentration, and fill factor of the reaction vessel. This two step growth mechanism was discussed by comparing with earlier reports.