Effect of processing on the properties of Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12 thin films

Various crystallization parameters were studied during the fabrication of Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12 (BNdT) thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si (100) by metal organic solution decomposition method. The effect of crystallization processes, crystallization ambients on the properties of BNdT thin films such as orientation, ferroelectric properties were examined. By adopting different fabrication processes, it is possible to get both highly c-axis oriented as well as randomly oriented thin films. Highly c-axis oriented BNdT thin film showed a large remnant polarization (2P(r)) of 70 mu C/cm(2) at an applied voltage of 10 V and exhibited a fatigue free behavior unto 2 x 10(9) switching cycles. The improved ferroelectric properties of BNdT thin films suggest their suitability for high density ferroelectric random access memory applications. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.