Novel magnetic-semiconductors in modified iron titanates for radhard electronics

Some members of the modified iron titanate family show remarkable tolerance to radiation and are well suited for radhard electronics. Of particular interest are solid solutions of ilmenite–hematite (IH) represented by (1 − x) FeTiO3.xFe2O3 where x varies from 0 to 1; and pseudobrookite, Fe2TiO5 (PsB). These multifunctional oxides can be both ferrimagnetic and wide bandgap semiconductors, and can be exploited in a variety of ways in radhard electronics, microelectronics and spintronics technologies. In this paper we emphasize the potential applications of the modified Fe-titanates with special emphasis on: (a) response of the non-linear current–voltage (I–V) characteristics to a magnetic field; (b) how the introduction of a biasing voltage might be used to produce bipolar currents in circuits and fabrication of voltage tunable varistors; and (c) the response of non-linear current–voltage characteristics when irradiated with neutrons, protons and heavy Fe-ions. Based on these observations, we will identify a few applications for which we can make use of the unique multifunctional nature of modified Fe-titanates.