Substrate effect on in-plane dielectric and microwave properties of Ba(Sn0.15Ti0.85)O3 thin films

The microstructure and in-plane dielectric and microwave properties of Barium tin titanate Ba(Sn0.15Ti0.85)O3 (BTS) thin films grown on (1 0 0) LaAlO3 and (1 0 0) MgO single-crystal substrates through sol-gel process were investigated. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize crystal structure of phases and microstructure of the thin films, respectively. Microwave properties of the films were measured from 1 to 10 GHz by the interdigital capacitor configuration. The obvious differences in the dielectric and microwave properties are attributed to the stress in the films, which result from the lattice mismatch and difference in the thermal expansion coefficients between the film and substrates. This work clearly reveals the highly promising potential of BTS films for application in tunable microwave devices.