Dielectric properties of ZrTiO4 thin films deposited by DC magnetron reactive sputtering

Paraelectric ZrTiO4 thin films were synthesized on a Si(100) substrate using DC magnetron reactive sputtering. Films deposited above-400$^{\circ}C$ exhibited crystalline characteristics. The dielectric constants ($\varepsilon$) and dielectric losses (tan$\delta$) of as-deposited and annealed films were measured in the 1 MHz range using a Pt upper electrode and a phosphorous-doped si bottom electrode. Preliminary data showed that as the deposition temperature increased, the dielectric losses decreased while the dielectric constants did not change significantly. similar trends for dielectric losses were observed when the as-deposited samples were annealed at 800$^{\circ}C$. The reduction of dielectric losses at high-deposition temperatures and post annealing correlated well with the x-ray diffraction peak widths.