La-substituted BiFeO3, Bi0.8La0.2FeO3, thin films were fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscope were used to analyze the structures of the films. The results show the films fabricated under optimized growth condition are (0 1 2) textured. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy results indicate that the oxidation state of Fe ion is Fe3+ in the films without detectable Fe2+. The films show low leakage current and excellent dielectric characters. Multiferroic properties with a remnant ferroelectric polarization of 5.2 mu C/cm(2) and a remanent magnetization of 0.02 mu(B)/Fe were established. These results have some implications for further research. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.