Abstract: The invention is a novel class of materials made by combining the best qualities of both lead iron tantalate (PFT) and lead iron titanate (PZT) to synthesize (PbZr0.53Ti0.47O3)(1-x)—(PbFe0.5Ta0.5O3)x (PZTFT) (0.1?x?0.9) compositions that have multiferroic (ferroelectric and ferromagnetic) and magnetoelectric properties.

Abstract: The invention provides a novel class of room-temperature, single-phase, magnetoelectric multiferroic (PbFe0.67W0.33O3)x (PbZr0.53Ti0.47O3)1-x (0.2?x?0.8) (PFWx?PZT1-x) thin films that exhibit high dielectric constants, high polarization, weak saturation magnetization, broad dielectric temperature peak, high-frequency dispersion, low dielectric loss and low leakage current. These properties render them to be suitable candidates for room-temperature multiferroic devices. Methods of preparation are also provided.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to a nanolaminate structure involving Al2O3 thin films as a main component. The nanolaminate is used between a top electrode and a bottom electode to form a capacitor. The naonolaminate layer comprises alternating layers of Al2O3 and TiO2 and an interfacial layer.

Abstract: SrBi2Nb2O9 (SBN) thin films are deposited on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates using off-axis pulsed laser deposition technique. Off-axis laser ablation avoids plasma damaging of the surface of SBN thin films and is favorable to grow films along the polarization axis (a–b plane). SBN thin films are grown at 350° C. substrate temperature, with 5 mm away from the plasma focus, and annealed at 750° C. for 1 hour in oxygen ambient. These SBN thin films exhibited giant remnant polarization (Pr) of 50 ?C/cm2 with coercive field of 190 kV/cm. The fatigue endurance of these SBN thin films was measured at 400 kV/cm and showed minimal (<20%) polarization degradation of up to 1010 switching cycles. The leakage current density of SBN thin films was found to be about 2×107 up to an applied field of 100 kV/cm. The above-mentioned properties of off-axis deposited SBN thin films, makes it a good material for NVRAM devices.

Abstract: A stable, wide-bandgap (approximately 6 eV) ZnO/MgO multilayer thin film is fabricated using pulsed-laser deposition on c-plane Al2O3 substrates. Layers of ZnO alternate with layers of MgO. The thickness of MgO is a constant of approximately 1 nm; the thicknesses of ZnO layers vary from approximately 0.75 to 2.5 nm. Abrupt structural transitions from hexagonal to cubic phase follow a decrease in the thickness of ZnO sublayers within this range. The band gap of the thin films is also influenced by the crystalline structure of multilayer stacks. Thin films with hexagonal and cubic structure have band-gap values of 3.5 and 6 eV, respectively. In the hexagonal phase, Mg content of the films is approximately 40%; in the cubic phase Mg content is approximately 60%. The thin films are stable and their structural and optical properties are unaffected by annealing at 750° C.