Preparation and characterization of Ba2TiSi2O8 ferroelectric films produced by sol-gel method

Fresnoite (Ba2TiSi2O8, BTS) thin films were grown on polished Si(100) substrates by sol-gel method. The films were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman scattering spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atom force microscopy (AFM). The results reveal that the crystallinity of fresnoite thin films increases and their structures become more compact as post-annealing temperature increases. Combined with XRD data, the strong FTIR peaks and Raman bands assigned to Ti-O and Si-O vibration indicate the formation of fresnoite phase in the films at a temperature of 750 degreesC. Besides, the AFM observation showed the films have a smooth surface, fine grains and dense structure. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.