Thickness dependence of dielectric properties in bismuth layer-structured dielectrics

c-axis-oriented epitaxial SrBi4Ti4O15 and CaBi4Ti4O15 films having natural superlattice structure were grown on (001)(c)SrRuO3 parallel to(001)SrTiO3 substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. SrBi4Ti4O15 films suffer no degradation with a dielectric constant of 200 down to a film thickness of 15 nm, which corresponds to four unit cells. Temperature coefficients of capacitance were low enough despite their high dielectric constant. They exhibited stable capacitance and superior insulating properties against applied electric field, irrespective of film thickness. These results open the door to designable size-effect-free materials with high dielectric constant having bias- and temperature-independent characteristics together with superior electrical insulation for high-density capacitor applications. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.