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The crystal structures of and were refined by neutron powder diffraction. Large structural distortions were revealed, and ferroelectric polarizations along the and axes were calculated from the displacements of the constituent ions. In La atoms substitute for Bi atoms in a perovskite-type unit only, and the substitution causes less distortion of the structure, resulting in smaller spontaneous polarization and lower ferroelectric Curie temperature. Electronic-structure calculations revealed that covalent interaction, which originates from the strong hybridization between Ti and O orbitals, plays an important role in the structural distortion and ferroelectricity of the materials. Changes in ceramic-sample density with sintering temperature give information concerning device fabrication temperature; that is, substituting La for Bi atoms appears to “increase” the synthesis temperature of the …