Nonepitaxial orientation in sol-gel bismuth titanate films

Control over crystallographic orientation in ceramic thin films is important for highly anisotropic structures. Layered perovskites, like Bi4Ti3O12, have interesting properties associated with their ferroelectric nature, which may be fully exploited only when films are highly textured. Textured films of this titanate were fabricated via a sol-gel technique without using epitaxial growth. Orientation in the film is confirmed by XRD and SEM, and supported by refractive index and dielectric measurements. In an attempt to explain the orienting effect, light scattering experiments were conducted to yield information about the molecular size, shape, and conformation of macromolecules as the sol-gel solution ages and condensation reactions proceed. These experiments clearly show an increase in the size of molecular clusters with time. We believe that it is the organization of these large clusters during spin coating, and the relationship of the backbone chemistry to the crystal structure of Bi4Ti3O12, that are responsible for the observed orientation.