Electrical characteristics and microstructures of Pr6O11-doped Bi4Ti3O12 thin films

Pr6O11-doped bismuth titanate (BixPryTi3O12, BPT) thin films with random orientation were fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by rf magnetron sputtering technique, and the structures and ferroelectric properties of the films were investigated. XRD studies indicate that all of BPT films consist of single phase of a bismuth-layered structure with well-developed rod-like grains. For samples with y=0.06 , 0.3, 1.2 and 1.5, I-E characteristics exhibit negative differential resistance behaviors and their ferroelectric hysteresis loops are characterized by large leakage current. Whereas for samples with y=0.6 and 0.9, I-E characteristics are of simple ohmic behaviors and their ferroelectric hysteresis loops are saturated and undistorted. The remanent polarization (Pr) and coercive field (Ec) of the BPT Film with y=0.9 are above 35 μC/cm2 and 80 kV/cm, respectively.