The effect of cerium doping in barium zirconate titanate thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering system

Structure and electrical properties of Ba(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (BZT) and Ce-doped Ba(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (BCZT) thin films with the mole fraction of x=0.2 had been investigated. BZT and BCZT films were prepared on Pt/SiO2/Si substrate by a rf magnetron sputtering system. We have investigated the effect of Ce doping in BZT thin film. The argon to oxygen gas ratio was 4:1 and the deposition temperatures were 400, 500, and 600 °C. BCZT thin films had the high growth rate and the smoother surface than BZT thin films. The dielectric constant (εr) was lower in BCZT thin films compared to BZT films (εr(BZT)=145, εr(BCZT)=121 at 500 °C). And, the dissipation factor (tan δ) and the leakage current was lower in Ce-doped BZT thin films.