Preparation of SBN Thin Films by the Organic Gel Method and the Electrical Properties

Sr0.5Ba0.5Nb2O6 (SBN50) thin films were prepared by the organic gel method. The microstructural variation of the gel powders and SBN thin films with annealing temperature was studied by differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetry (TG), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The differences in the decomposition between Sr-Ba-Nb nitrate precursor solutions with different pH values were investigated. By annealing at 700℃ for 2h, polycrystalline SBN thin films with smooth and crack-free surface were derived from the precursor solution with pH=8. Electric properties measurement indicated that the SBN films demonstrated a ferroelectric hysteresis loop. The remanent polarization(Pr) and coercive field (Ec) were 8.17μC/cm2 and 16.9kV/cm, respectively.