Growth and electrical properties of Ce-doped Bi2Ti2O7 thin films by chemical solution deposition

Cerium-doped Bi2Ti2O7 (BCTO) thin films have been grown on P-type Si 〈1 0 0〉 substrates by a chemical solution deposition (CSD) method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out, which confirms that the crystallinity of the films increased with the enhancement of annealing temperature ranging from 550 to 750 °C. The chemical stability of Bi2Ti2O7 was improved, since some Bi ions are substituted with the Ce ions. The AFM image of surface morphology of (Bi0.88Ce0.12)2Ti2O7 thin film was investigated. The section morphology was studied and the thickness was measured. The relaxation time and the leakage current behavior of (Bi0.88Ce0.12)2Ti2O7 thin films annealed at various temperatures were discussed. The current-voltage characteristics were explored, accordingly dielectric constant (DC) and dielectric loss (DL) were calculated at the frequency ranging from 1 to 2000 kHz. At the characteristic frequency of 100 kHz, DC and DL are calculated to be 214 and 0.06 respectively. The results showed that the film annealed at 700 °C had good insulating properties and was considered using in advanced MOS transistors.