Structural characterization of strained (Ba-0.5,Sr-0.5)TiO3 thin films grown on Si by synchrotron X-ray diffraction

Abstract

Epitaxial (Ba-0.5,Sr-0.5)TiO3 (BST) thin films have been grown on Si substrate with a very thin yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) buffer layer by pulsed-laser deposition. The epitaxially grown BST thin films experienced lattice distortion along the in-plane direction due to the tensile stress induced primarily by thermal stress during deposition. Crystallinity and microstructures of a strained BST thin films have been closely investigated using X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, and synchrotron X-ray.