Dielectric properties of BaTiO3/SrTiO3 multilayered thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

BaTiO3/SrTiO3 multilayered thin films were deposited on Si and Pt/Si substrates. X-ray diffraction clearly shows the formation of the superstructures. Phase transition properties were studied via dielectric measurements. Glassy behavior, characterized by a strong frequency dispersion of dielectric properties, was found in samples with a total thickness of 400 nm, while in samples with a total thickness of 800 nm, normal ferroelectric phase transitions with two dielectric peaks were observed. A preliminary interpretation assumes that size effects which frustrate long range ferroelectric ordering may lead to the relaxational behavior in BaTiO3/SrTiO3 superstructures. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.