Influence of H2O partial pressure in the sputtering chamber on the crystallinity and relative dielectric constant of SrTiO3 thin film prepared at lowsubstrate temperature

It has been investigated here how the crystallinity and relative dielectric constant of low-temperature sputtered SrTiO3 film is influenced by H2O par tial pressure in the deposition chamber, with increasing H2O partial pressu re, the relative dielectric constant of SrTiO3 film prepared at a substrate temperature of 280 degreesC tends to degrade, and the amorphous layer in t he interface between bottom electrode and dielectric film increases in thic kness observed in TEM images. H2O partial pressure and relative dielectric constant can be estimated from in situ spectrum analysis of hydrogen in pla sma emission. The monitoring and control of H2O partial pressure are necess ary for the SrTiO3 deposition process to achieve stable dielectric properti es, (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd, All rights reserved.