Enhanced ferroelectric properties of LiNbO3 substituted Na0.5K0.5NbO3 lead-free thin films grown by chemical solution deposition

We have fabricated environmental friendly lead-free ferroelectric Na0.5K0.5NbO3 (NKN) and 0.95Na(0.5)K(0.5)NbO(3)-0.05LiNbO(3) (0.95NKN-0.05LN) thin films by chemical solution deposition using metal-organic compounds, and studied the effects of LN substitution through the dielectric and ferroelectric properties. The small amount of LN substitution for NKN thin film led to a marked improvement in leakage current properties at the high electric field region. Furthermore, the 0.95NKN-0.05LN thin film (350 nm) displayed clear ferroelectricity with well saturated P-E hysteresis loop with 2P(r) and 2E(c) values of 19.5 mu C/cm(2) and 91 kV/cm, respectively. The 0.95NKN-0.05LN films will be interesting for applications in lead-free ferroelectric and piezoelectric devices.