Rapid thermally processed ferroelectric Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films

Abstract

Polycrystalline Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films having perovskite structure were successfully produced on platinum coated silicon substrates by the sol-gel technique. Crack-free and crystalline films of 5000 Å thickness were fabricated by spinning and post-deposition rapid thermal annealing treatment at 500° C for 20 s. The films exhibited good structural, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties. The measured dielectric constant and loss factor at a frequency of 100 kHz were 180 and 0.014 and remanent polarization and coercive field were 5.4 µC/sq cm and 135 kV/cm, respectively. The films showed good switching endurance under bipolar stressing at least up to 10 ¹⁰ cycles.