Effects of interface on the dielectric properties of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 thin film capacitors

Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 thin films were deposited on Pt/SiO2/Si substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observation shows that there is a transition layer at BST/Pt interface, and the layer is about 7-8 nm thickness. It is found that the transition layer was diminished to about 2-3 nm thickness by reducing the initial RF sputtering power. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiles show that high Ti atomic concentration results in a thick interfacial transition layer. Moreover, the symmetry nu of epsilon(r)-V curve of BST thin film is enhanced from 52.37 to 95.98%. Meanwhile, the tunability, difference of negative and positive remanent polarization (P-r), and that of coercive field (E-C) are remarkably improved. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.