Dielectric and ferroelectric properties of highly oriented (Pb,Nb)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O₃ thin films grown by a sol-gel process

Antiferroelectric (Pb,Nb)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O₃ thin films were deposited via a sol-gel process on LaNiO₃-coated silicon substrates. Films showed a strong (001) preferred orientation upon annealing at 500-700°C for 30 min. The dependence of electrical properties on film thickness has been studied, with the emphasis placed on field-induced phase switching from the antiferroelectric to the ferroelectric state. The decrease of film thickness led to an increase of the phase-switching field along with the appearance of remanent polarization. However, the dielectric constant and maximum polarization decreased with the reduction of film thickness. Saturation polarization was 35 μC/cm², which is equal to that observed in bulk samples. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.