Ferroelectric Properties of BaZrO3 Doped Sr0.8Bi2.2Ta2O9 Thin Films

Abstract

Novel sol–gel derived Sr0.8Bi2.2Ta2O9 (SBT) doped with 5 and 7% molar ratio BaZrO3 (BZ) thin films were fabricated, characterized, and electrical properties were evaluated with Pt electrodes. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed all the characteristic peaks of the layered perovskite structure with (115) orientation and slight peak broadening by BZ doping. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) showed a small shift in the Sr 3d peak with BZ substitution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) cross-sectional photographs of the films show smaller grain size and greater porosity with BZ addition. The remanent polarization (2Pr) was significantly reduced from ∼16.4 µC/cm2 for SBT to ∼2.3 µC/cm2 for SBT with 7% BZ. Capacitance–voltage measurements performed at a frequency of 1 MHz showed butterfly type hysteresis loops, which is further evidence of ferroelectricity of the modified SBT, and dielectric constant of 135 for SBT with 7% BZ. Leakage current measurements showed one order of magnitude higher leakage current for SBT with 5% BZ compared to SBT. Lower film dielectric constant leads to higher leakage current in BZ doped SBT. Although leakage mechanisms predict this general trend, it runs counter to the objective of preparing ferroelectric films with low leakage and low dielectric constants for ferroelectric gate field-effect transistor (FeFET) type memory.