Dielectric breakdown characteristics of sol-gel derived SrTiO3 films

Dielectric breakdown behavior of sol-gel derived SrTiO3 films has been studied systematically. The dielectric strength and leakage characteristics of SrTiO3 films were observed to have a strong dependence on the top electrode materials. Compared with films with Ti or Al electrode, SrTiO3 films with Au electrode exhibited relatively low dielectric breakdown strength. Simultaneously, a broad area of damage occurred in the Au electrode after breakdown, which is closely related to the self-healing breakdown mechanism. The corresponding leakage current kept the same order of magnitude when the electric field was higher than 100 MV/m. The higher dielectric strength of the films with Ti or Al electrode is attributed to anodic oxidation of metal electrode.