Structure and dielectric properties of highly (100)-oriented PST thin films deposited on MgO substrates

High-quality Pb0.4Sr0.6TiO3 (PST) thin films have been epitaxially grown on MgO (100) substrates at various substrate temperatures by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Their crystalline phase structures and surface morphology were measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their in-plane orientation was observed by the Phi scans on the (111) plane. Their dielectric properties were measured by a precision impedance analyzer. Results show that the perovskite phase was stable in PST thin film. The crystalline phase formation of the thin film depended on the deposition temperature. The phase formation ability and (100)-orientation of these films were increased with increasing deposition temperature. Both of the high tunabilities and low dielectric loss of the thin films show that the (100)-oriented PST is a potential material that can be used for tunable applications. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.