Comparison of Microwave Dielectric Properties of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 Thin Films Grown on (100) LaAlO3 and (100) MgO Single-Crystal Substrates

The microwave properties of barium strontium titanate (Ba 0.6 Sr 0.4 TiO 3 ) thin films grown on (100) LaAlO 3 (LAO) and (100) MgO single-crystal substrates through the sol–gel technique were investigated. The interdigital capacitor (IDC) technique was used to measure the nonlinear dielectric properties in the frequency range from 1 GHz to 10 GHz. The results show that the Curie temperature, capacitance, and tunability of the films are strongly dependent upon the substrate. The film fabricated on the LaAlO 3 substrate has a higher tunability of 16.77% than that grown on the MgO substrate (∼8.38%), measured at 10 GHz with an applied voltage of 35 V. The loss tangent is a linear function of the frequency in the microwave range, and the film grown on the MgO substrate has a lower loss tangent than that grown on the LAO substrate. This work reveals the great potential of Ba 0.6 Sr 0.4 TiO 3 (BST) films for application in tunable microwave devices.