Low temperature preparation of barium titanate thin films by a novel sol-gel-hydrothermal method

Barium titanate (BaTiO3) thin films have been firstly prepared at low processing temperature on silicon substrates by using a novel sol-gel-hydrothermal (SG-HT) technique, which combined the conventional soi-gel process and hydrothermal method. The as-dried BaTiO3 gel films were used as the precursor films for the post-hydrothermal treatment. The microstructural characteristics proved that the prepared BaTiO3 thin films with well-developed crystallinity and good surface morphology were converted from the amorphous phase to the perovskite phase at very low processing temperature of 100-200 degrees C. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.