Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T11:26:37.178Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mechanisms for microstructure enhancement in flux-assisted growth of barium titanate on sapphire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2014

Matthew J. Burch ,
Jing Li ,
David T. Harris ,
Jon-Paul Maria  and
Elizabeth C. Dickey
Matthew J. Burch*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606
Jing Li
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606
David T. Harris
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606
Jon-Paul Maria
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606
Elizabeth C. Dickey
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: mjburch@ncsu.edu
Get access

Abstract

A low-temperature thin-film processing method for BaTiO3 is studied to understand microstructure development in the presence of a liquid-forming phase. The addition of a eutectic barium borate flux is found to prevent nucleation of BaTiO3 during pulsed-laser deposition on sapphire substrates at 400 °C. Subsequent thermal annealing above the flux's eutectic temperature dramatically enhances the film's microstructural development and crystallinity. A secondary reaction phase of barium aluminate is identified at the substrate interface in both unfluxed and fluxed films, although it is more pronounced in the fluxed films. This barium aluminate phase in conjunction with the liquid flux serves to nucleate {111} twins in the barium titanate, which subsequently lead to enhanced grain growth. The resulting large-grained and dense thin films result in markedly improved dielectric properties.

Keywords

thin filmflux growthmicrostructure
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 29 , Issue 7 , 14 April 2014 , pp. 843 - 848
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Tagantsev, K., Sherman, V.O., Astafiev, K.F., Venkatesh, J., and Setter, N.: Ferroelectric materials for microwave tunable applications. J. Electroceram. 11, 5 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kong, L., Li, S., Zhang, T., Zhai, J., Boey, F., and Ma, J.: Electrically tunable dielectric materials and strategies to improve their performances. Prog. Mater. Sci. 55, 840 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Q., Zhai, J., Ben, Q., Yu, X., and Yao, X.: Enhanced microwave dielectric properties of Ba0.4Sr0.6TiO3 ceramics doping by metal Fe powders. J. Appl. Phys. 112, 104104 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Courreges, S., Zhao, Z., Choi, K., Hunt, A., and Papapolymerou, J.: Electronically tunable ferroelectric devices for microwave applications. In Microwave and Millimeter Wave Technologies from Photonic Bandgap Devices to Antenna and Applications, Minin, I. ed. (InTech, Rijeka, Croatia, 2010).Google Scholar
Aygün, S.M., Ihlefeld, J.F., Borland, W.J., and Maria, J.P.: Permittivity Scaling in Ba1-xSrxTiO3 thin films and ceramics. J. Appl. Phys. 109, 0034108 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chong, K.B., Kong, L.B., Chen, L., Yan, L., Tan, C.Y., Yang, T., Ong, C.K., and Osipowicz, T.: Improvement of dielectric loss tangent of Al2O3 doped Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 thin films for tunable microwave devices. J. Appl. Phys. 95, 1416 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, W.J., Dai, J.M., Zhu, X.B., Chang, Q., Liu, Q.C., and Sun, Y.P.: Improvement of dielectric tunability and loss tangent of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 thin films with K doping. Chin. Phys. B 21, 097702 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yan, X., Ren, W., Shi, P., Wu, X., and Yao, X.: Enhanced tunable dielectric properties of Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3/Bi1.5Zn1.0Nb1.5O7 multilayer thin films by a sol-gel process. Thin Solid Films 520, 789 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Korn, D.S. and Wu, H.D.: A comprehensive review of microwave system requirements on thin-film ferroelectrics. Integr. Ferroelectr. 24, 215 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ihlefeld, J.F., Borland, W.J., and Maria, J-P.: Enhanced dielectric and crystalline properties in ferroelectric barium titanate thin films. Adv. Funct. Mater. 17, 1199 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, D.T., Burch, M.J., Ihlefeld, J.F., Lam, P.G., Li, J., Dickey, E.C., and Maria, J-P.: Realizing strain enhanced dielectric properties in BaTiO3 films by liquid phase assisted growth. Appl. Phys. Lett. 103, 012904 (2013).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prakash, D., Sharma, B.P., Mohan, T.R.R., and Gopalan, P.: Flux additions in barium titanate: overview and prospects. J. Solid State Chem. 155, 86 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qi, J.Q., Chen, W.P., Wang, Y., Chan, H.L.W., and Li, L.T.: Dielectric properties of barium titanate ceramics doped by B2O3 vapor. J. Appl. Phys. 96, 6937 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Toropov, N.A. and Galakhov, F.Y.: Diagram of the state of the BaO-Al2O3 system. Rep. USSR Academy Sci. 82, 69–70 (1952).Google Scholar
Madakson, P., Cuomo, J.J., Yee, D.S., Roy, R.A., and Scilla, G.: Processing of La1.8Sr0.2CuO4 and YBa2Cu3O7 superconducting thin films by dual-ion-beam sputtering. J. Appl. Phys. 63, 2046 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Develos, K.D., Yamasaki, H., Sawa, A., and Nakagawa, Y.: On the origin of surface outgrowths in pulsed-laser-deposited YBCO/CeO2/Al2O3 thin films. Physica C: Superconductivity 361, 121 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Develos, K.D., Yamasaki, H., Nakagawa, Y., and Sawa, A.: Effect of laser fluence on outgrowth formation and interfacial reaction in YBCO/CeO2/Al2O3 films. Physica C: Superconductivity 372, 642 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dovidenko, K., Oktyabrsky, S., Tokarchuk, D., Michaltsov, A., and Ivanov, A.: The influence of the native BaAl2O4 boundary layer on microstructure and properties of YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films grown on sapphire. Mater. Sci. Eng., B 15, 25 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Podraza, N.J., Li, J., Wronski, C.R., Dickey, E.C., Horn, M.W., and Collins, R.W.: Analysis of Si1-xGex :H thin films with graded composition and structure by real time spectroscopic ellipsometry. Physica Status Solidi A 205, 892 (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Podraza, N.J., John, D.B.S., Li, J., Wronski, C.R., Dickey, E.C., and Collins, R.W.: Microstructural evolution in Si1-xGex:H thin films for photovoltaic applications. Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) 35, 000158 (2010).Google Scholar
Collins, R.W., Ferlauto, A.S., Ferreira, G.M., Chen, C., Koh, J., Koval, R.J., Lee, Y., Pearce, J.M., and Wronski, C.R.: Evolution of microstructure and phase in amorphous, protocrystalline, and microcrystalline silicon studied by real time spectroscopic ellipsometry. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 78, 143 (2003).Google Scholar
DeVRIES, R.C.: Observations on growth of BaTiO3 crystals from KF solutions. J. Amer. Ceram. Soc. 42, 547 (1959).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, B-K. and Kang, S-J.L.L.: Second-phase assisted formation of {111} twins in barium titanate. Acta Mater. 49, 1373 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, S., Randall, C., and Liu, Z-K.: Modified phase diagram for the barium oxide-titanium dioxide system for the ferroelectric barium titanate. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 90, 2589 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, K.A., Hiremath, B.V., and Newnham, R.E.: Twin-seeded BaTiO3 ceramics. Phase Transitions 6, 153 (1986).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kang, S.J.L.: Boundary structure-dependent grain growth behavior in polycrystals: model and principle. Mater. Sci. Forum 753, 377 (2013).CrossRefGoogle Scholar