Thickness-dependent tunable characteristics of (Ba0.5Sr0.5)0.925K0.075TiO3 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

The thickness-dependent dielectric properties and tunability of pulsed laser deposited (Ba0.5Sr0.5)0.925K0.075TiO3 (BSKT) thin films with different thickness ranging from 80 to 300 nm has been investigated. Dielectric properties of the BSKT thin films are substantially improved as the BSKT film thickness increases, which can be explained by the model of a low-permittivity dead layer that is connected in series with the bulk region of the film. The estimated values of thickness and the average dielectric constant for the dead layer are 2.4 nm and 23.5, respectively, in a Pt/BSKT/Pt capacitor structure. The tunability and figure of merit increased with increasing film thickness, which are attributed to the change in lattice parameter and the dead layer effect.

► Pulsed laser deposition of tunable K-doped BaSrTiO3 thin films.
► Enhanced dielectric and tunable characteristics depending on film thickness.
► Quantitative description of the dead layer effect for the thickness dependence.
► Very promising figure of merit ∼65, with the highest tunability ∼77%.