STRUCTURAL AND DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 THIN FILMS GROWN ON LAO WITH HOMO-EPITAXIAL LAYER FOR TUNABLE APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The epitaxial, single phase (100) Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 (BST) films with thin interfacial layer of BST (x=0.4) were deposited on LAO (100) substrates using Pulse Laser Deposition (PLD). These films were characterized in terms of their phase formation and structural growth characteristics using X-ray diffraction and Atomic Force Microscopy respectively. The dielectric properties are strongly affected by the substrate type, post deposition annealing time, and temperature. In order to verify all these properties, thin interfacial-buffer layers of BST (10, 20, 50 nm) were introduced to relieve the stress induced between the film and the substrate. The variations of dielectric constant and ferroelectric properties of as deposited films are discussed in detail. The high tunability, low dielectric loss and low leakage current of these films make them attractive candidates for fabricating tunable dielectric devices. The observed dielectric properties of the BST-films are attributed to homo-epitaxial interfacial layer, which is responsible for the increase in the dielectric constant and tunability.