Atomic vapor deposition of bismuth titanate thin films

C-axis oriented ferroelectric bismuth titanate (Bi
₄
Ti
₃
O
₁₂
) thin films were grown on (001) strontium titanate (SrTiO
₃
) substrates by atomic vapour deposition technique. Ferroelectric properties of thin films are greatly affected by the presence of various kinds of defects. Detailed x-ray diffraction data (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed presence of out-of-phase boundaries (OPBs). These OPBs originate at atomic steps on the SrTiO
₃
substrate surface. It is found that the OPB density changes appreciably with the amount of titanium injected during growth of the thin films.