Permittivity and Microstructure of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 Films: Temperature and Electric Field Response

Abstract

AbstractEpitaxial heterostructures (001)(Y,Nd)Ba2Cu3O7-δ∥(100)SrTiO3∥(001)(Nd,Y)Ba2Cu3O7-δ,(100)SrRuO3∥(100)Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3∥(100)SrRuO3, (100)SrRuO3∥(100)SrTiO3∥(100)SrRuO3 and (100)SrTiO3∥(001)YBa2Cu3O7-δ have been grown by laser ablation. There was only a small difference of the dielectric permittivity, in the temperature range 180-300K, between a bulk single crystal and an epitaxial (100)SrTiO3 layer inserted between either high-Tc superconducting or SrRuO3 electrodes. At T<1 50K, on the other hand, the response of the dielectric permittivity of the SrTiO3 layer on temperature or electric field depended to a large extent upon the materials used as bottom and top electrodes in the heterostructures. The temperature dependence of the dielectric permittivity for the SrTiO3 layer in (100)SrRuO3∥(100)SrTiO3∥(100)SrRuO3 was well extrapolated by a Curie-Weiss relation in the range of T=80-300K, with about the same Curie constant (C0=7.5 × 104 K) and Curie temperature (TCurie=21K) as in a bulk single crystal. At temperatures higher the phase transition point (65 K), the electric field response of the permittivity of the SrTiO3 layer between high-TC superconducting or metallic oxide electrodes was well extrapolated by the same relation used for a bulk single crystal. The smallest loss factor, tanδ, was measured for the capacitance (100)SrRuO3∥(100)SrTiO3∥(100)SrRuO3 (T ≈ 50-300K, f=100kHz). The measured conductance G for the SrTiO3 layer in the (001)(Y,Nd)Ba2Cu3O7-δ heterostructure fitted well the relation InG∼-(ED/kT), with ED=0.08-0.09 eV in a temperature range close to 300K. Pronounced hysteresis was observed in the temperature dependence of the dielectric permittivity for the (100)Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3 layer at temperatures close to the phase transition point, like in the case of a bulk single crystal. The permittivity of the (100)Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3 layer decreased more than 50% when an electric field of 2.5×106V/m (T ≈ 300K, f=100 kHz ) was applied.