DC conduction behavior of Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12 thin films grown by RF-magnetron sputtering

The Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti₃O₁₂ (BNT) thin films were deposited on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by using RF-magnetron sputtering method and studied the ferroelectric and leakage current charateristics. The polarization – electric field (P-E) hysteresis loops of BNT film was well saturated with the remnant polarization (2P _r ) of 29.8 μC/cm² and a coercive field (2E _c ) of 121 kV/cm. The leakage current density – electric field (J-E) characteristics of the Pt/BNT/Pt capacitor reveals the presence of two conduction region, having Ohmic behavior at low electric field (below 50 kV/cm) and Schottky-emission or Poole-Frenkel emission at high electric field (above 60 kV/cm). The barrier height and trapped level of BNT films are estimated to be 1.11 eV and 0.90 eV, respectively.     

Effects of transition metal (Ni, Mn, Cu) doping on ferroelectric properties of Bi0.9Nd0.1FeO3 thin films prepared by chemical solution deposition method

Transition metal (Ni, Mn, Cu) doped Bi_0.9Nd_0.1FeO₃ thin films were prepared on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates by using a chemical solution deposition method. Compared to pure BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin film, improved ferroelectric and leakage current properties were observed in the transition metal doped thin films. The values of remnant polarization (2P _r ) and coercive electric field (2E _c ) of the transition metal doped thin films were 59 μC/cm² and 690 kV/cm at 700 kV/cm for the Ni-doped Bi_0.9Nd_0.1FeO₃ thin film, 57 μC/cm² and 523 kV/cm at 670 kV/cm for the Mn-doped thin film, and 85 μC/cm² and 729 kV/cm at 700 kV/cm for the Cu-doped thin film, respectively. The 2P _r values observed in the transition metal doped thin films were much larger than that of the BFO thin film, 21 μC/cm² at 660 kV/cm. Also the 2E _c values of in the transition metal doped thin films were lower than that of the BFO thin film, 749 kV/cm at 660 kV/cm. The reduced leakage current density was observed in the transition metal doped thin films, which is approximately two orders of magnitude lower than the BFO thin film, 2.6?×?10^?3 A/cm² at 100 kV/cm.     

Structural and improved electrical properties of rare earth (Sm, Tb and Ho) doped BiFe0.975Mn0.025O3 thin films

Pure BiFeO₃ (BFO) and rare earth (RE) ion co-doped (Bi_0.9RE_0.1)(Fe_0.975Mn_0.025)O₃ (RE?=?Sm, Tb and Ho, denoted by BSFM, BTFM and BHFM) thin films were prepared on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates by using a chemical solution deposition method. Formations of distorted rhombohedral perovskite structure for the thin films were confirmed by using an X-ray diffraction and a Raman scattering analysis. Microstructural features for the thin films were examined by using a scanning electron microscopic analysis. Among the thin films, the lowest leakage current density of 1.22?×?10^?6 A/cm² (at 100 kV/cm), large remnant polarization (2Pr) of 72.4 μC/cm² and low coercive field (2E _c ) of 689 kV/cm (at 980 kV/cm) were measured for the BTFM thin film.     

Electrical and Ferroelectric Properties of the Bi3.9La0.1Ti2.9V0.1O12 (BLTV) Thin Films

On the SiO₂/Si(100) substrates, Bi_3.9La_0.1Ti_2.9V_0.1O₁₂ (BLTV) ferroelectric thin films were deposited to form a metal-ferroelectric-metal (MFM) structures and improved by the low temperature supercritical carbon dioxide fluid (SCCO₂) post-treatment process. The dielectric and ferroelectric characteristics of the as-deposited BLTV thin films were measured and investigated by the XPS, C-V, and J-E measurement. From the measured results, after the SCCO₂ post-treatment, the capacitance, leakage current density, coercive field, and remnant polarization of the BLTV thin films were all improved obviously. Finally, the mechanism concerning the dependence of electrical properties of the ferroelectric thin films was also investigated.     

Low temperature growth of sol-gel SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films by low-pressure annealing

A new low-temperature processing method to prepare SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ thin films is proposed. These thin films were prepared on Pt/Ta/SiO₂/Si substrates by a sol-gel method, and their structural and electrical properties were investigated. Films were annealed before and after the top Pt electrode deposition. The first annealing was performed in a 760-Torr oxygen atmosphere at 600 °C for 30 min, and the second annealing was performed in a 5-Torr oxygen atmosphere at 600 °C for 30 min. The films were well crystallized and fine-grained after the second annealing. The electrical characteristics of the 200-nm-thick film obtained by this new process were as follows: remanent polarization, P_r = 8.5 μC/cm²; coercive field, E_c = 36 kV/cm; and leakage current density, I_L = 1 × 10⁻⁷ A/cm² (at 150 kV/cm). This process is very attractive for highly integrated ferroelectric nonvolatile memory applications. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 120(2): 27–33, 1997     

Excess Bismuth-Dependent Characteristics of Chemical Solution Deposited Bi3.15La0.85Ti3O12 Thin Films

The phase formation and electrical properties of (Bi_3.15La_0.85)Ti₃O₁₂ (BLT) thin films prepared by the chemical solution deposition method on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates have been investigated. It was observed that the microstructure and electrical properties of BLT thin films dramatically varied with the excess Bi content. The crystallographic orientation of BLT films was varied with excess Bi content and the intermediate rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process. While BLT thin films prepared without intermediate RTA process have ?117? orientation irrespective of excess Bi content, BLT thin films with RTA process at 450°C have an orientation change with excess Bi content. The leakage current of BLT thin films slightly increased with increasing excess Bi content up to 6.5% and then considerably decreased in BLT film with 10% Bi, where was revealed to be almost stoichiometric composition.     

Ferroelectric Properties of Mo-Doped Bi4-XLaXTi3O12 Films

Mo-doped Bi_3.35La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂ (BLTM) films were deposited on Pt/Ti bottom electrodes by using a sol-gel method and crystallized at 700°C for 30 min in O₂ atmosphere. The ferroelectric properties were greatly improved by substituting B-site ions with Mo ions and the BLTM films showed strong preferred (117) orientation. Typical remanent polarization (2Pr) and coercive field (2Ec) values were 32.0 μC?cm^?2 and 158 kV?cm^?1, respectively. It was also found that the leakage current densities in the BLTM films were lower than those in Bi_3.35La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂ (BLT) films.     

Synthesis and properties of ferroelectric Si-doped (Bi, Nd)4Ti3O12 thin films by chemical solution deposition

Ferroelectric Si-doped (Bi,Nd)₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films have been prepared on Pt/TiO_x/SiO₂/Si substrates through metal-organic compounds by the chemical solution deposition. The Bi_3.25Nd_0.75Ti_2.9Si_0.1O₁₂ (BNTS) precursor films were found to crystallize into the Bi-layered perovskite Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ single-phase above 600^∘C. The synthesized BNTS films revealed a random orientation having a strong 117 reflection. The BNTS thin films prepared between 600^∘C and 700^∘C showed well-saturated P-E hysteresis loops with P _r of 13–14 μ C/cm² and E _c of 100–110 kV/cm at an applied voltage of 5 V. The surface roughness of the BNTS thin films was improved by Si doping compared with that of undoped Bi_3.35Nd_0.75Ti₃O₁₂ films.     

Effect of seed layers on dielectric properties of Ba(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 thin films

The Barium zirconium titanate Ba(Zr_0.3Ti_0.7)O₃ thin films were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates with seed layers at the BZT/Pt interface by sol–gel process. Microstructure and structure of thin films were examined. Dielectric properties of thin films with various seed layers thicknesses were investigated as a function of frequency and direct current electric field. The tunability and dielectric constant of BZT thin films increased with increasing seed layer thickness from 0 to 20 nm, while it decreased with a further increase in thickness above 20 nm, meanwhile, the leakage current showed the similar tendency at applied electric field of 250 kV/cm. The optimized seed layer thickness for BZT thin films plays an important role in maintaining the high tunability and low leakage current, which are suitable for microwave device applications.     

Enhancement of ferroelectricity in gadolinium (Gd) and transition metal (Ni, Co, Cr) Co-doped BiFeO3 thin films via a chemical solution deposition technique

The BiFeO₃ (BFO) and the gadolinium and transition metal ions co-doped (Bi_0.9Gd_0.1)(Fe_0.975 TM _0.025)O_3-δ (TM?=?Ni, Co and Cr, BGFNi, BGFCo and BGFCr) thin films were prepared on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates by using a chemical solution deposition method. Compared to the pure BFO, improved electrical and ferroelectric properties were observed in the co-doped (Bi_0.9Gd_0.1)(Fe_0.975 TM _0.025)O_3-δ thin films. Among the thin films, the BGFCr thin film exhibited large remnant polarization (2P _r ), low coercive field (2E _c ), and reduced leakage current density, which are 136 μC/cm², 1360 kV/cm at 1470 kV/cm, and 5.14?×?10^-6 A/cm² at 100 kV/cm, respectively.     

Characterization of the CeO2 thin films for insulation layer and Pt/SrBi2Ta2O9/CeO2/Si MFISFET structure

Abstract

CeO₂ and SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) thin films for MFISFET (metal-fcrroelectrics-insulator-semiconductor field effect transistor) were deposited by rf sputtering and pulsed laser deposition method, respectively. The effects of oxygen partial pressure during deposition for CeO₂ films were investigated. The oxygen partial pressure significantly affected the preferred orientation, grain size and electrical properties of CeO₂ films. The CeO₂ thin films with a (200) preferred orientation were deposited on Si(100) substrates at 600°C. The films deposited under the oxygen partial pressure of 50 % showed the best C-V characteristics among those under various conditions. The leakage current density of films showed order of the 10^?7～10^?8 A/cm² at 100 kV/cm. The SBT thin films on CeO₂/Si substrate showed dense microstructure of polycrystalline phase. From the C-V characteristics of MFIS structure composed of the SBT film annealed at 800°C, the memory window width was 0.9 V at ±5 V. The leakage current density of Pt/SBT/CeO₂/Si structure annealed at 800°C was 4×10^?7 A/cm² at 5 V.     

Phase Formations and Electrical Properties of Various (Bi, La)4Ti3O12 Thin Films by Chemical Solution Deposition

The phase formation and electrical properties of (Bi, La)₄Ti₃O₁₂ (BLT) thin film and V-, Sm-doped BLT thin films prepared by the chemical solution deposition method on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates have been investigated. It was observed that the microstructure and electrical properties of BLT thin films dramatically varied with V- and Sm-doping. The crystallinity and grain size of BLT thin films were definitely increased by V- and Sm-doping into BLT films, which resulted in the enhancement of remanent polarization in doped BLT films. The remanent polarization (Pr) of Sm-doped BLT films annealed for 3 min by an RTA system was about 9 C/cm². The V- and Sm-doped BLT films also exhibited good fatigue characteristics under bipolar stressing to 10¹⁰ cycles.     

Micro-structure and ferroelectric properties of BiFeO3 thin films formed on Pt-coated r-plane sapphire substrates

Magnetoelectric BiFeO₃ (BFO) materials exhibit ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties simultaneously, therefore they have a potential to be applied in magnetic as well as ferroelectric devices. BFO thin films were formed by depositing sol-gel solutions on Pt-coated r-plane sapphire dielectric substrates. We did not observe any secondary phase such as Bi₂Fe₄O₉ on the r-plane sapphire substrates, which is generally observed on Si substrates. We observed small ferroelectric grains of about 0.1 μm on Pt/sapphire structures. The leakage current density in BFO films was found to be decreased dramatically after optimizing process conditions of stoichiometric BFO chemical solution. The leakage current densities were in the range of 10^{− 7} A/cm² at room temperature and 10^{− 9} A/cm² at 80 K under 0.4 MV/cm applied electric field. The main reason for low leakage current is considered to be reduction of oxygen vacancies due to the presence of exclusive Fe^{3 +} valance state in the films. An applied electric field higher than 0.5 MV/cm was required to pole the BFO films, which made it difficult to obtain the saturated polarization at room temperature. We could measure the saturated remanent polarization in the BFO films at 80 K and the obtained remanent polarization was 100 μC/cm².     

Dielectric and Ferroelectric Properties of Ba(Zr0.35Ti0.65)O3 Thin Films Grown by a Sol-Gel Process

The Ba(Zr_0.35Ti_0.65)O₃ (BZT) thin films were deposited via sol-gel process on LaNiO₃-coated silicon substrates. XRD showed that the crystallinity of BZT film grown on LaNiO₃ coated silicon substrates is better than that of BZT film grown on Pt. Both films showed perovskite phase and polycrystalline structure. The temperature dependent dielectric measurements revealed that the thin films had the relaxor behavior and diffuse phase transition characteristics. The capacitor tuning was about 44% for each BZT film grown on LaNiO₃/Pt and Pt electrodes at 1 MHz. Especially, the values of dielectric loss at 1 MHz ranged from 0.02 to 0.009 in the bias range of 0 to 514 kV/cm, respectively. The leakage currents density of thin films grown on LaNiO₃/Pt and Pt electrodes at 300 kV/cm was about 8.5 × 10^–7 and 1.1 × 10^–5 A/cm², respectively. This work demonstrates a potential use of BZT films for application in tunable microwave devices.     

Characterization of PT ferroelectric thin films on porous silica for pyroelectric IR detectors

Ferroelectric PbTiO₃ thin films were deposited on Pt/DS/PS/SiO₂/Si substrates by sol–gel technique. Porous silica (PS) thin film was used as thermal-insulation layer and dense silica (DS) thin film was a buffer layer to reduce surface roughness of PS layer. Root mean square surface roughness can be effectively reduced from 9.7 to 3.5 nm after PS buffer layer was prepared. The average grain size of PT thin films decreased slightly with increasing thickness of porous silica. Dielectric constant of PT increased from 107 to 171 at 1 KHz as thickness of PS layer increased from 0 to 2,000 nm. PT thin film prepared on 2,000 nm porous silica exhibited good dielectric property. The leakage current density was less than 1.6?×?10^-6 A/cm² when the applied electrical field was 200 kV/cm. The composite film is suitable for preparing pyroelectric IR detectors.     

Effect of excess-PB and prenucleation layer on properties of Pb(ZryTi1-y)O3 thin films prepared by mod process

Abstract

A modified metal-organic decomposition process, MOD has been successfully utilized to improve the ferroelectric properties of Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃, PZT, thin films. Multilayer PZT/Pt(Si) films, which contain 0.12 μm layer of spin coated PbO-excess (10 mol%) precursors on top of 0.12 μm layer of stoichiometric PZT precursors, exhibit superior ferroelectric properties (P_r=14.2 μC/cm²; E_c=62 kV/cm) to the single layer PZT/Pt(Si) films of the same thickness (0.24 μm), which are either stoichiometric or 10 mol% Pb-enriched. The ferroelectric properties are further improved when the PZT films were synthesized using a thin pulsed laser deposited (PLD) prenucleation layer (0.06 μm). The subsequently MOD-prepared PZT films posses high remanent polarization (P_r=23.2–26.6 μC/cm²) and low coercive field (E_c=62.9–69.0 kV/cm).     

Oriented growth of Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 thin films on RuO2/SiO2/Si substrates by using the polymeric precursor method: Structural, microstructural and electrical properties

c-axis oriented Bi_3.25La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂ (BLT) thin films were grown on a RuO₂ top electrode deposited on a (100) SiO₂/Si substrate by the polymeric precursor method. X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscope investigations indicate that the films exhibit a dense, well crystallized microstructure having random orientations with a rather smooth surface morphology. The electrical properties of preferred oriented Bi_3.25La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂ (BLT) thin films deposited on RuO₂ bottom electrode leaded to a large remnant polarization (P _r ) of 17.2 μC/cm² and (V _c ) of 1.8 V, fatigue free characteristics up to 10¹⁰ switching cycles and a current density of 2.2 μA/cm² at 5 V. We found that the polarization loss is insignificant with nine write/read voltages at a waiting time of 10,000 s. Independently of the applied electric field the retained switchable polarization approached a nearly steady-state value after a retention time of 10 s.     

Film Thickness Dependence of Electrical Properties for Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Thin Films Prepared on (111)Ir/TiO2/SiO2/Si and (111)Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si Substrates by Pulsed-Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Polycrystalline Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) films with various film thicknesses were deposited on (111)Ir/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si and (111)Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates at 540°C by source-gas-pulsed metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (pulsed-MOCVD). PZT films deposited on (111)Ir/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates showed good surface flatness and lower leakage current density. The rate of the decrease of remanent polarization (P _r ) and the rate of increase of coercive field (E _c ) for the films with decreasing the film thickness smaller on (111)Ir/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates than those of (111)Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates. In addition, P _r and E _c values saturated at low voltage when the film thickness was the same. As a result, good ferroelectricity with P _r and E _c values of 40 μC/cm² and 140 kV/cm were obtained for 35 nm-thick films prepared on (111)Ir/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates by pulsed-MOCVD.     

Effect of Buffer Layer on the Properties of Laser Ablated PZT Thin Films

Lead zirconate titanate (PbZr _x Ti_1?x O₃) or PZT ceramics are a class of piezoelectric materials that are currently experiencing widespread use in industry as electromechanical devices. PtSi/ZnO/PZT thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition at relatively low substrate temperature. The PZT thin films on PtSi substrates and on ZnO buffer layer were deposited at substrate temperature 300°C. The composition analysis shows that the film deposited at low temperature is stoichiometric. The films exhibit ferroelectric nature with coercive field of 19.6 kV/cm for 800 nm thick film. The leakage current density of the films shows a good insulating behavior.     

Ferroelectric and Dielectric Properties of Lanthanum-Modified Bismuth Titanate Thin Films Obtained by the Polymeric Precursor Method

Lanthanum-modified bismuth titanate, Bi_{4 – x}La_xTi₃O₁₂ (BLT), thin films with a La concentration of 0.75 was grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by using the polymeric precursor solution and spin-coating method. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed rounded grains, which is not typical for these system. The BLT films showed well-saturated polarization-electric field curve which 2P_r = 41.4 C/cm² and V_c = 0.99 V. The capacitance dependence on the voltage is strongly nonlinear, confirming the ferroelectric properties of the film resulting from the domains switching. These properties make BLT a promising material for FERAM applications.