Structural and electrical properties of strontium barium niobate thin films crystallized by conventional furnace and rapid-thermal annealing process

Strontium barium niobate (SBN) thin films were crystallized by conventional electric furnace annealing and by rapid-thermal annealing (RTA) at different temperatures. The average grain size of films was 70 nm and thickness around 500 nm. Using x-ray diffraction, we identified the presence of polycrystalline SBN phase for films annealed from 500 to 700 degreesC in both cases. Phases such as SrNb2O6 and BaNb2O6 were predominantly crystallized in films annealed at 500 degreesC, disappearing at higher temperatures. Dielectric and ferroelectric parameters obtained from films crystallized by conventional furnace and RTA presented essentially the same values.