Optimization of the tunability of barium strontium titanate films via epitaxial stresses

Abstract

The tunability of epitaxial barium strontium titanate films is analyzed theoretically using a phenomenological model. The relative dielectric constant of Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 (BST 50/50) films as a function of the applied external electric field is calculated and an electric field–misfit strain phase diagram is developed to assist in the interpretation of the behavior. On the basis of these results, the tunability of BST 50/50 films as a function of the misfit strain is provided and compared with the experimental data in the literature. Analysis shows that a high tunability can be achieved by adjusting the misfit strain especially in the vicinity of a structural phase transformation. The misfit strain in epitaxial films can be controlled with the selection of a substrate material or variations in the film thickness. The film thickness dependence is due to misfit dislocation formation at the film growth temperature. A critical thickness to attain the maximum tunability can be defined for BST 50/50 films on MgO (∼90 nm) and LaAlO3 (∼120 nm) substrates. It is suggested that the selection of the substrate and/or the film thickness can be chosen as design parameters to manipulate the strain state in the film to achieve optimum tunability.