Growth and electrical properties of Ce-doped Bi2Ti2O7 thin films by chemical solution deposition

Abstract Cerium-doped Bi 2 Ti 2 O 7 (BCTO) thin films have been grown on P-type Si 〈1 0 0〉 substrates by a chemical solution deposition (CSD) method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out, which confirms that the crystallinity of the films increased with the enhancement of annealing temperature ranging from 550 to 750 °C. The chemical stability of Bi 2 Ti 2 O 7 was improved, since some Bi ions are substituted with the Ce ions. The AFM image of surface morphology of (Bi 0.88 Ce 0.12 ) 2 Ti 2 O 7 thin film was investigated. The section morphology was studied and the thickness was measured. The relaxation time and the leakage current behavior of (Bi 0.88 Ce 0.12 ) 2 Ti 2 O 7 thin films annealed at various temperatures were discussed. The current–voltage characteristics were explored, accordingly dielectric constant (DC) and dielectric loss (DL) were calculated at the frequency ranging from 1 to 2000 kHz. At the characteristic frequency of 100 kHz, DC and DL are calculated to be 214 and 0.06 respectively. The results showed that the film annealed at 700 °C had good insulating properties and was considered using in advanced MOS transistors.