A simple novel route to synthesize aqueous tantalum and niobium precursors has been developed using cheap and stable Nb2O5 or Ta2O5 as starting source, based on basic flux technique. Various analytical techniques have been employed to characterize the purity, and thermal decomposition features of the precursors. Using home-made Ta and Nb precursors, several photocatalysts and ferroelectric powders such as LiNbO3, LiTaO3, Sr0.75Ba0.25Nb2O6, and SrBi2Ta2O9 have been prepared at lower processing temperature by a polymerizable complex route successfully.

Zr/Ti an Hf/Ti composite nitrate were developed as single-source precursors for deposition of multi-component metal oxide films. X-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses confirmed that ZrxTi1-xO2 and HfxTi1-xO2 films were successfully prepared by the CVD technique from these composite precursors. The Zr/Ti nitrate can be taken as a solid solution of the individual Zr and Ti nitrate, and the Zr/Ti molar ratio in as-deposited ZrxTi1-xO2 films is nicely consistent with that of the precursor. The Hf/Ti nitrate appears to be a mixture of the Zr and Ti nitrates and the composition of the as-deposited HfxTi1-xO2 films depends remarkably on the heating time of precursor. Both ZrxTi1-xO2 and HfxTi1-xO2 films exhibit trading-off properties between band gap and dielectric constant, which suggesting that ZrxTi1-xO2 and HfxTi1-xO2 can be the promising candidates for gate dielectric application to improve the scalability and reduce the leakage current of the next generation complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor (CMOS) devices.

SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) films were prepared on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates at 750 °C in oxygen by the metalorganic decomposition method. SBT film capacitors were postannealed in Ar (N2) at 350–750 °C and then reannealed in O2 at 750 °C. Effects of annealing atmosphere on the structure, morphology, and ferroelectric properties have been investigated systematically. The composition analyses indicate Ar- or N2-annealing at 750 °C leads to Bi evaporation and oxygen loss. Above 550 °C 100% Ar or N2 postannealing, the remnant polarization decreases and the coercive field increases significantly. The subsequent O2 recovery can hardly rejuvenate the electrical properties. The result is different from that with the effective O2 recovery in forming gas processing (annealing in an atmosphere containing 5% hydrogen). The possible origin and mechanism is discussed and proposed.