Perovskite films are known to be useful in many different technologies, including solar panels and memristors. Most perovskites contain lead which is undesirable for many reasons. It has been found that bismuth can be used in place of lead in preparing perovskite thin films. Additionally, when chemical vapor deposition is used to prepare the films instead of traditional solution phase methods, the films show greatly improved performance in electronic applications. Additionally, the present disclosure is directed to the use of perovskites in memory devices.