Epitaxial growth of SrBi2Nb2O9 on (110) SrTiO3 and the establishment of a lower bound on the spontaneous polarization of SrBi2Nb2O9

Epitaxial SrBi2Nb2O9 thin films have been grown on (110) SrTiO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Four-circle x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy reveal nearly phase pure epitaxial films with the c axis of the films at 45 degrees with respect to the substrate normal. Electrical characterization is presented for films grown on epitaxial SrRuO3 electrodes. The low-field relative permittivity was 235, the remanent polarization was 11.4 muC/cm(2), and the dielectric loss was 3.0% for 0.3-mum-thick films. From the remanent polarization and an understanding of the epitaxial geometry, a lower bound of 22.8 muC/cm(2) was determined for the spontaneous polarization of SrBi2Nb2O9. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)03844-4].