Dielectric and Antiferroelectric Properties of AgNbO3 Films Deposited on Different Electrodes

AgNbO3 antiferroelectric materials have become a hot topic due to their typical double polarization–electric field loops. AgNbO3 films usually exhibit superior properties to bulks. In this work, AgNbO3 films were fabricated via the pulsed laser deposition on (001) SrTiO3 substrate with (La0.5Sr0.5)CoO3, LaNiO3 and SrRuO3 bottom electrodes, in which the (La0.5Sr0.5)CoO3, LaNiO3 and SrRuO3 bottom electrodes were used to regulate the in-plane compressive stress of AgNbO3 films. It is found that AgNbO3 films deposited on (La0.5Sr0.5)CoO3, LaNiO3 and SrRuO3 bottom electrodes are epitaxial with dense microstructure. In changing the bottom electrodes from (La0.5Sr0.5)CoO3, LaNiO3 to SrRuO3, the in-plane compressive stress of AgNbO3 thin films becomes weaker, which leads to increased relative dielectric permittivity and reduced antiferroelectric–ferroelectric phase transition electric field EF from 272 kV/cm to 190 kV/cm. The reduced EF implies weakened antiferroelectric stability in AgNbO3 films. It can be seen that the antiferroelectric stability of AgNbO3 films could be regulated by changing the bottom electrodes.