Effect of microstructures on the microwave dielectric properties of ZrTiO4thin films

To obtain various paraelectric ZrTiO4 thin-film microstructures, the films were synthesized at different deposition temperatures using rf magnetron sp uttering. Both the dielectric losses (tan delta) and dielectric constants ( epsilon) of the ZrTiO4 thin films were measured up to 6 GHz using a circula r-patch capacitor geometry. The films showed enhanced crystallinity with in creasing deposition temperature. as determined from the x-ray diffraction p eak; widths at various scattering vectors. The microwave dielectric losses correlated very well with the level of crystallinity or strain, while the d ielectric constants did not alter significantly. (C) 2001 American Institut e of Physics.