Preparation of BaZrO3 films by physical vapor deposition and a novel hydrothermal duplex technique

Dielectric barium zirconate (BaZrO3, BZO) films were prepared by physical vapor deposition and a novel hydrothermal duplex technique. Zirconium nitride films were first deposited on Si substrates by hollow cathode discharge plasma ion plating (HCD-IP). Subsequently, the ZrN-coated Si specimens were soaked in Ba(CH3COO)2 and NaOH mixed alkaline solutions with a galvanic couple setup in the temperatures range of 55−95 °C for 1−24 h. X-ray diffraction results confirmed that cubic BZO films were successfully prepared on ZrN/Si. The growth rate of BZO films on ZrN is much faster than that on bulk-Zr. The crystallinity, lattice parameter, and relative peak intensities were determined. Moreover, the morphology of the obtained BZO films was investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The BZO films exhibited a nanolayered structure and the thickness could reach about 2 μm after 15 h in the solution at 90 °C. The dependence of the film morphology and thickness on the reaction temperature and the time in the solution is discussed.