Crystallization, Heterostructure, Microstructure, and Properties of Ferroelectric Strontium Bismuth Tantalate Films Derived from Tantalum Glycolate Solutions.

Strontium bismuth tantalate (SBT) films were prepared by chemical solution deposition (CSD) onto Pt/TiO2/SiO2/(100)Si substrates. Nominal chemical compositions of the precursor solutions of SrBi2Ta2O9, SrBi2.2Ta2O9, Sr0.8Bi2Ta2O9, and Sr0.8Bi2.2Ta2O9 were tested for the deposition of the films. Crystallization of the films was carried out by a two-step process (TS) or a single-step process (SS). The TS treatment consisted of thermal treatment of the films in oxygen atmosphere at 550 °C for 7200 s, with a heating rate of 8 °C/s, followed by a rapid thermal processing (RTP) in oxygen at a temperature of 650 °C for 3600 s, using a heating rate of 200 °C/s. The SS process was just the RTP treatment of the films. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the crystalline films showed the formation of the layered perovskite together with a second phase. Analysis of the films by means of Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) showed that this second phase was placed at the interface and it was formed by the r...