Influence of mobile space charges on electrical properties of ferroelectric Bi3.5La0.5Ti3O12 thin films

Lanthanum-substituted bismuth titanate, Bi_3.5La_0.5Ti₃O₁₂ (i.e., x=0.5 in Bi_4−xLa_xTi₃O₁₂), thin films have been grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates using pulsed laser deposition. The frequency dependence of the real part ε′(ω) and the imaginary part ε″(ω) of the dielectric constant has been studied. The ε′(ω) does not show any sudden change within the frequency range of 10²-10⁶ Hz. In contrast, the ε″(ω) shows a large dispersion as frequency decreases. The observed relaxation behavior in ε″(ω) can be explained in terms of a migration of oxygen vacancies in (Bi₂O₂)²⁺ layers, not in Bi₂Ti₃O₁₀ perovskite layers.