Electrical characteristics and microstructures of Pr6O11-doped Bi4Ti3O12 thin films

Pr6O11-doped bismuth titanate (BixPryTi3O12, BPT) thin films with random orientation were fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by rf magnetron sputtering technique, and the structures and ferroelectric properties of the films were investigated. XRD studies indicate that all of BPT films consist of single phase of a bismuth-layered structure with well-developed rod-like grains. For samples with y=0.06, 0.3, 1.2 and 1.5, I—E characteristics exhibit negative differential resistance behaviors and their ferroelectric hysteresis loops are characterized by large leakage current. Whereas for samples with y=0.6 and 0.9, I—E characteristics are of simple ohmic behaviors and their ferroelectric hysteresis loops are saturated and undistorted. The remanent polarization (Pr) and coercive field (Ec) of the BPT Film with y=0.9 are above 35 μC/cm2 and 80 kV/cm, respectively.