PULSED-LASER ABLATION OF FERROELECTRIC COMPOSITES FOR PHASED-ARRAY ANTENNA APPLICATIONS

Low loss composites have been fabricated in thick and thin film forms for a broad range of frequency applications. The thin film composites of barium strontium titanium oxide (BSTO) have been primarily develope d by the pulsed laser ablation (PLA) method. This deposition technique has produced high quality thin films of BSTO composites on various su bstrates [S. Sengupta, L.C. Sengupta, W.E. Kosik, Pulsed laser deposit ion of ferroelectric thin films in conjunction with superconducting ox ides, IEEE Ca# 94CH3416-5, 431][Analysis of ferroelectric thin films d eposited by the pulsed laser deposition method on oxide and fluoride s ubstrates, IEEE Cat# 94CH3416-5, 70][S. Sengupta, D.P. Vijay, S.B. Des u, Thin films of novel ferroelectric composites, Proceedings of MRS, 3 61, 1995, 545][S. Sengupta, L.C. Sengupta. Novel pyroelectric sensor m aterials, submitted to the Special Issue on Sensors and Actuators of t he IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Con trol]. The objective of this work is to elucidate the PLA deposition p arameters of the BSTO composite thin films. The material characterizat ion and the electronic parameters of the thin films will also be prese nted, Finally, the patterning techniques required to fabricate the BST O composite thin film phase shifters will be discussed. Some prelimina ry results of the phase shifter characterization will also be presente d. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.