Influence of stoichiometry on the dielectric properties of sputtered strontium titanate thin films

The dielectric permittivity, dielectric quality factor (inverse dielectric loss), and lattice parameter of 140 nm sputtered SrTiO3 films were dependent on the oxygen partial pressure and total chamber pressure (O-2+Ar) during film growth. Films were grown at 25 and 75 mTorr (mT) in an oxygen rich and oxygen deficient sputtering gas environment concurrently on (100) SrTiO3 and (111) Pt/(0001) Al2O3 substrates. Films were deposited on platinized sapphire for electrical characterization and the homoepitaxial films were used as a structural and chemical standard. High resolution triple axis x-ray diffraction results showed an increase in mismatch between the film and substrate (200) peak in homoepitaxial SrTiO3 films with higher total growth and lower oxygen pressures. Dielectric quality factors of the SrTiO3 films on platinized sapphire at 1 MHz for the 25 mT (50 sccm Ar/50 sccm O-2), 25 mT (90 sccm Ar/10 sccm O-2), 75 mT (50 sccm Ar/50 sccm O-2), and 75 mT (90 sccm Ar/10 sccm O-2) film growths were 320, 251, 209, and 102, respectively; likewise, the dielectric constants follow as 241, 230, 220, and 170, respectively. Improved film dielectric properties were observed for films closer to stoichiometric SrTiO3. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.