Dielectric properties of amorphous Zr–Al–O and Zr-Si-O thin films

Abstract

We have systematically studied the composition dependence of the dielectric properties of Zr 1-x Al x O 2-x/2 and Zr 1-x Si x O 2. An essentially linear variation of the static dielectric constant, εs, was observed as a function of composition, x, for compositions rich in the p-block element, i.e., x > 0.4, for both chemical systems. However an abrupt change in εs is found near x ≈ 0.35, associated with the onset of crystallinity in as-deposited films. Breakdown fields do not show a comparable composition dependence. Measurements of the index of refraction at optical frequencies, combined with a simple Clausius–Mossotti interpretation, indicates that low-frequency (ionic) contributions to the polarizability exhibit systematic deviation with respect to values linearly interpolated from the endmembers. These trends are not consistently affected by the presence of crystalline order, but are related to changes associated with heterogeneous local oxygen coordination and bonding.