Surface morphology and dielectric properties of alkoxy-derived Sr2Ta2O7 and Sr2Ta, Nb2O7 thin films

Sr₂Ta₂O₇ and Sr₂(Ta, Nb)₂O₇ thin films were prepared from molecular structure-controled alkoxide solutions. The Sr₂Ta₂O₇ thin films initiated to crystallize at around 650 °C and showed random orientation. The surface topography developed was dependent on the solutions. In the thin films prepared from the ethanolic solution, grains formed at low temperatures. However, many small pores still remained and no grains were observed in the thin films prepared from the methoxyethanolic solution. In contrast, the 800 °C-annealed Sr₂(Ta, Nb)₂O₇ thin films showed the (0 k 0) orientation as in Sr₂Nb₂O₇ thin films. The dielectric constants and loss factors of the 750 °C-annealed Sr₂Ta₂O₇ and Sr₂(Ta_0.7Nb_0.3)₂O₇ thin films were around 90 and less than 0.05 at 100 kHz, respectively.