Effects of oxide buffer layers on the microstructure and electrical properties of PLZST 2/87/10/3 antiferroelectric thin films

In the present work, the effects of oxide buffer layers, such as ZrO2, CeO2 and TiO2, on the microstructure and electrical properties of (Pb0.97La0.02)(Zr0.87Sn0.10Ti0.03)O3 (PLZST 2/87/10/3) antiferroelectric (AFE) thin films were investigated systematically. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures illustrated that the crystalline orientation and surface microstructure of PLZST 2/87/10/3 AFE thin films had a close relation with these oxide buffer layers. As a result, the final electrical properties of AFE films were tuned by these buffer layers. Electrical measurements result showed that the dielectric properties, polarization characteristic and current–field curves of AFE thin films could be tailored by selecting a proper oxide buffer layer.