Effect of Zn doping on structural and ferroelectric properties of GaFeO3for futuristic spintronic applications

In this paper, we have studied the effect of Zn doping on the structure, micro-structure and ferroelectric properties of GaFeO
₃
. The syntheses of the samples were done using sol-gel technique. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies show the orthorhombic structure having space group Pc21n without any secondary phase or impurity, suggesting no change in structure due to the incorporation of Zn. The refined lattice parameters and unit cell volume increase upon Zn doping. Room temperature Raman spectroscopy data confirmed the incorporation of Zn in GaFeO
₃
. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show the irregular shape of grains with average particle size of 0.9 μm and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) verified the composition of the compound. Further, the reduction in leakage current was observed upon Zn doping in GaFeO
₃
, resulting in a more in ferroelectric behaviour.