Investigation on the dielectric properties of (Ba, Sr)TiO3 thin films on hybrid electrodes

Ba0.65Sr0.35TiO3 (BST) thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si, RuO2/SiO2/Si and RuO2/Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. The effects of these bottom electrodes on the microstructure and dielectric properties of the BST thin films were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electrical measurements. The BST thin films on RuO2/Pt hybrid bottom electrodes exhibit good crystalline and interfacial structure with a thinner transition layer. Dielectric measurement reveals that the films on RuO2/Pt hybrid electrodes have comparable dielectric constant and loss tangent with the films on Pt electrode, and the dielectric tunability of BST films on RuO2/Pt reaches 38.2%, which is higher than that of BST films on a single Pt or RuO2 electrode. The BST thin films on RuO2/Pt exhibit lower leakage current density by nearly two orders' of magnitude than that on RuO2 electrode. The higher tunability and lower leakage current of the films on RuO2/Pt hybrid bottom electrodes are mainly attributed to the RuO2 layer, which facilitates the nucleation and growth of BST films, and inhibits the interfacial diffusion between the BST films and bottom electrodes. The results show a potential for RuO2/Pt hybrid electrodes replacing Pt electrode in microelectronic device applications. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V.