Low temperature growth of sol-gel SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films by low-pressure annealing

Abstract

A new low-temperature processing method to prepare SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films is proposed. These thin films were prepared on Pt/Ta/SiO2/Si substrates by a sol-gel method, and their structural and electrical properties were investigated. Films were annealed before and after the top Pt electrode deposition. The first annealing was performed in a 760-Torr oxygen atmosphere at 600 °C for 30 min, and the second annealing was performed in a 5-Torr oxygen atmosphere at 600 °C for 30 min. The films were well crystallized and fine-grained after the second annealing. The electrical characteristics of the 200-nm-thick film obtained by this new process were as follows: remanent polarization, Pr = 8.5 μC/cm2; coercive field, Ec = 36 kV/cm; and leakage current density, IL = 1 × 10−7 A/cm2 (at 150 kV/cm). This process is very attractive for highly integrated ferroelectric nonvolatile memory applications. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 120(2): 27–33, 1997