Slow capacitance relaxation in (BaSr)TiO3 thin films due to the oxygen vacancy redistribution

Capacitance relaxation in Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3 thin film structures has been investigated. Slow decrease of the capacitance after a bias voltage switching on is explained by suppressing the film dielectric permittivity by the field of a p-n junction originated as a result of the oxygen vacancy migration in the bias field. After the bias switching off, the p-n junction gradually disappears due to the vacancy diffusion, and the capacitance increases. The relation determining capacitance increase after the bias switching off has been obtained in agreement with experimental data. The proposed relaxation mechanism is considered as a certain type of the size effect when the p-n junction depleted region spreads over the film thickness. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.