STUDIES OF FERROELECTRIC FILM GROWTH-PROCESSES USING IN-SITU, REAL-TIME ION-BEAM ANALYSIS

Further technological advances in ferroelectric thin film-based device s requires to achieve a better understanding of the growth of ferroele ctric and electrode layers, including oxygen incorporation during grow th and other parameters. This can be achieved using in situ, real-time characterization techniques. We are currently using time-of-flight io n scattering and recoil spectroscopy (TOF-ISARS) to study film growth processes. Results discussed in this review concerns initial studies o f the growth of SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) films. As an example, the potential o f TOF-ISARS has been demonstrated by determining that the layered SBT films are terminated in an incomplete (Bi2O2)(2+) layer with an oxygen plane as the top most layer. This results and the implications for un derstanding the resistant to fatigue of Pt/SBT/Pt capacitors are discu ssed in this review.