Electrical properties of Bi_(3.25) La_(0.75)Ti_3O_(12) thin films with various grain orientations deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering

摘要

Effects of grain orientation on the electrical polarization and leakage current characteristics of Bi_(3.25)La_(0.75)Ti_3O_(12) (BLT) thin films have been investigated with respect to c-axis off-alignment. The BLT thin films from epitaxially aligned along c-axis to (117) and (014) off-aligned orientations have been successfully grown by using both different electrode materials (Pt and SrRuO_3) and heat-treatments. In order to evaluate the crystallinity and the film texture of various off-aligned BLT thin films, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were carried out. The BLT thin films deposited on SrRuO_3/SrTiO_3 (100) substrate was grown epitaxial c-axis alignment. That is, the c-axis of the film was completely parallel to the substrate normal, resulting in a cube on cube epitaxial relationship with the underlying SrRuO_3 film. The corresponding P-E curve showed nearly paraelectric property. The polycrystalline (117) and (014) oriented BLT thin films revealed that remnant polarization increased remarkably due to the anisotropy of spontaneous polarization of BLT. The surface roughness of BLT thin films was increased to result in degraded leakage current characteristic. According to the present results, it can be concluded that the grain orientation of BLT thin films is a crucial factor controlling the polarization properties and leakage current characteristics.