Fabrication of dielectric thin films by sputtering deposition at different pressures with (Ba0.3Sr0.7)(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 ceramic as target

Abstract

Abstract Dielectric ceramic thin films have been fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on SiO2 (110) substrates with different sputtering pressures and the as-sputtered samples were subsequently annealed in an O2 atmosphere. The microstructure and morphology of the thin films were investigated, particularly as a function of pressures. The thin films deposited at 0.25 Pa are polycrystalline with high-quality crystals and are made up of dense rod-like structures. The main phases are Ba0.5Sr0.5Nb2O6 and Ba0.27Sr0.75Nb2O5.78, which are different from the target because of the volatilization of ZnO. The results indicate that appropriate sputtering pressure contributes to the improvement of the crystal quality and the grain growth of the dielectric ceramic thin films.