DIELECTRIC-PROPERTIES OF ORIENTED THIN-FILMS OF PBZRO3 ON SI PRODUCEDBY PULSED-LASER ABLATION

PbZrO3 is an antiferroelectric perovskite with Tc approximate to 230 d egrees C. We have deposited single phase, perfectly c-axis oriented th in films of PbZrO3 on Si(100) substrates by pulsed laser ablation at 7 00 degrees C. The growth conditions (substrate temperature, ambient ox ygen pressure, and laser energy density) have been optimized and the m orphology of the films studied by scanning electron microscopy and ato mic force microscopy. From a study of the dielectric hysteresis of the films and a measurement of the temperature dependence of their capaci tance, we find that films thicker than approximate to 300 nm are antif erroelectric,while thinner films (<300 nm) appear to exhibit ferroelec tric behavior. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.