Influence of precursor chemistry on the formation of MTiO3 (M = Ba, Sr) ceramic thin films

Thin films of BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 were prepared by a chemical solution deposition method. The impact of the precursor on the processing, on the microstructure, and on the dielectric properties has been studied by systematically varying the alkyl chain length of the used Ba- and Sr-carboxylates. In addition, the effect of stabilizing the Ti-alkoxide precursor by acetylacetone has been investigated. The decomposition process, the crystallization behavior, and the film morphology were analyzed by glancing incidence XRD, reflectance FT-IR and field emission SEM. Distinct precursor effects on the thin film morphology and properties were revealed. Part of this influence can be attributed to an intermediate complex carbonate phase which forms for selected carboxylates with short alkyl chains. The high transformation temperature of this intermediate phase to the perovskite obviously has a marked influence on the crystallization and densification process of the alkaline earth titanate thin films. We correlate the morphological differences of the films to their dielectric properties.