Low Temperature Preparation of Sr2(Ta1-x, Nbx)2O7 Ferroelectric Thin Film by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Preferentially (151)-oriented Sr2(Ta1-x, Nbx)2O7 (STN) thin films on Pt have been prepared at temperatures as low as 550 and 600°C, in O2 and N2O atmospheres, respectively, by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The temperatures are significantly lower than those prepared by sol-gel methods, where 950°C was reported. These are the lowest growth temperatures of crystalline STN thin films. Composition ratio (x) in the target material was determined to be around 0.3 from measurement of the Curie temperature and ferroelectric properties. Active oxygen generated by laser irradiation in ambient O2 or N2O atmosphere is found to be very effective for chemical reaction, and decreases the growth temperature of crystalline STN films. It is also confirmed by surface AFM and cross-sectional SEM observations that the film has a columnar-shaped structure with grain size ranging from 50 to 100 nm. Remanent polarization (Pr) and coercive field (Ec) are 0.4μ C/cm2 and 30 kV/cm, respectively. Finally, we expect the low temperature STN film prepared by PLD to be a promising ferroelectric for the application in ferroelectric memory FETs.