Ferroelectric characteristics of liquid source misted chemical deposition (LSMCD)-derived SrBi2.4Ta2O9 thin films with thickness variation

SrBi2.4Ta2O9 (SBT) thin films of 70-400 nm thickness were prepared on platinized Si substrates by liquid-source misted chemical deposition (LSMCD), and the thickness dependence of the ferroelectric characteristics was investigated. The grain size of the LSMCD-derived SET films was approximately 150 nm and hardly varied with the film thickness. The 70-nm thick SET film exhibited remanent polarization (2P(r)) of 13.5 muC/cm(2) and a coercive field value (E-c) of 63 kV/cm at +/-3 V. Within the thickness range of 70-400 nm, the LSMCD-derived SET films exhibited size effects, i.e. a decrease in remanent polarization and relative permittivity and an increase in the coercive held with a reduction in the film thickness. The LSMCD-derived SET films with a thickness of 70-400 nm exhibited fatigue-free behavior for up to 10(12) switching cycles. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.