Growth of SrBi4Ti4O15 thin films in a microwave oven by the polymeric precursor method

SrBi4Ti4O15 (SBTi) thin films were obtained by the polymeric precursor method and crystallized in a domestic microwave oven. For comparison, films were also crystallized in a conventional furnace at 700 °C for 2 h. Structural and morphological characterization of the SBTi thin films was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Using platinum coated silicon substrates configuration, ferroelectric properties of the films were determined with remanent\polarization Pr and a coercive field Ec of 5.1 μC/cm2 and 135 kV/cm for the film thermally treated in the microwave oven and 5.4 μC/cm2 and 85 kV/cm for the film thermally treated in conventional furnace, respectively. The films thermally treated in the conventional furnace exhibited excellent fatigue-free characteristics up to 1010 switching cycles indicating that SBTi thin films can be a promise material for use in non-volatile memories.