Composition dependence of microstructure and dielectric properties in alkoxy-derived Ba(Ti,Zr)O3 thin films

Lead- and bismuth-free Ba(Ti1-x-Zr-x(x))O-3 (BTZ x = 0.00-0.50) thin films were fabricated on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrates by the chemical solution deposition (CSD) process. In the case of increasing Zr content x, the crystallinity of BTZ thin films changed from the typical random orientation to the (111) preferred orientation, and the average crystallite size changed to be between 25 and 48 nm. The shape of P-E hysteresis loops and the dielectric constant Er of BTZ thin films were improved around x = 0.20. The pinching effect region of BTZ thin films consisting of nano-crystals is considered to be around x = 0.20, and this changed with crystallite size as a function of sintering temperature. The epsilon(r) of the BTZ thin films strongly depended on the average crystallite size.