Structure, composition and microwave dielectric properties of bismuth zinc niobate pyrochlore thin films

(Bi1.5Zn0.5)(Zn0.5Nb1.5)O7 (BZN) pyrochlore thin films were deposited onto both Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si and polycrystalline alumina substrates using pulsed laser deposition technique and then post-annealed using rapid thermal processing. The deposition temperature varies from 300 °C to 600 °C, and all the BZN films showed cubic pyrochlore structure after annealing at 650 °C for 30 min in air. The influence of the substrate associated with crystal structure is significant in the as-deposited films and disappears after post-annealing. The dielectric properties as a function of frequency up to the microwave frequency in both films were measured by LCR meter and split-post dielectric resonator technique. It is found that the BZN film deposited at 400 °C and post-annealed at 650 °C shows excellent dielectric properties with low loss in the microwave frequency range. This result indicates that the BZN thin film is a potential microwave material.