Ferroelectric Ba0.4Sr0.6TiO3 (BST) thin films grown on (001) MgO by pulsed
laser deposition show a strong correlation between their structure and thei
r microwave dielectric properties. Epitaxially grown BST films are observed
by x-ray diffraction to be tetragonally distorted. The oxygen deposition p
ressure affects the magnitude of the tetragonal distortion (the ratio of in
-plane and surface normal lattice parameters, D=a/c) of the deposited BST f
ilms. D varied from 0.996 to 1.004 at oxygen deposition pressure of 10-800
mTorr. The dielectric properties of BST films measured at microwave frequen
cies (1-20 GHz) exhibit an oxygen deposition pressure dependent dielectric
constant (epsilon=100-600), and quality factor Q (1/tan delta=10-60). The B
ST film grown at the oxygen deposition pressure of 200 mTorr exhibits the h
ighest figure of merit [% tuning in epsilon xQ(0V), where % tuning is 100x(
epsilon(0)-epsilon(b))/epsilon(0), and epsilon(0) and epsilon(b) are dielec
tric constant at 0 and 80 kV/cm]. This corresponds to the film with the low
est distortion (D=1.001). The observed microwave properties of the films ar
e explained by a phenomenological thermodynamic theory based on the strain
along in-plane direction of the films. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physi
cs. [S0021-8979(00)01022-7].