Nonlinear response and power handling capability of ferroelectric BaxSr1-xTiO3 film capacitors and tunable microwave devices

The nonlinear response of ferroelectric BaxSr1-xTiO3 films to microwave electric field intensity up to similar to 3x10(6) V/m was studied. Two techniques were used for this investigation: (i) 10 GHz pulsed power measurements, and (ii) 4 GHz intermodulation distortion (IMD) measurements. The nonlinear distortion of the resonant curve under microwave pulsed power and generation of the third-order IMD products in microwave resonators using ferroelectric film planar capacitors were measured. The use of microwave pulses and continuous signals enabled the separation of the nonlinear dielectric response from the heating response of the ferroelectric films and the microwave nonlinear parameters of the ferroelectric films to be determined. It is shown that up to a specified value of microwave voltage amplitude the nonlinear response of BaxSr1-xTiO3 film capacitors can be predicted from the small signal capacitance-voltage characteristics. Formulas to estimate power handling capability connected with the field dielectric nonlinearity and the film overheating are derived for the tunable microwave devices based on ferroelectric films. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)06521-X].