A previous study of the synthesis of seeded and unseeded thin films of this material had revealed an increase in crystallinity of the films and an improvement in thin-film ferro-electric properties when using seeds of the phase. However, the detailed role played by the seeds in improving the thin-film properties had not been investigated. Here, the role of the seeds was studied with particular regard to the reactions between the film and the underlying Pt electrode. A comparison of results obtained by characterizing the seeded and unseeded thin films using Rutherford back-scattering and particle-induced X-ray emission techniques revealed an effective modification of the substrate/thin-film interface due to the presence of the seeds. Evaluation of the thin-film ferro-electric properties by atomic force microscopy revealed an improvement in the local piezo-electric hysteresis loops due to the seeds. These seeding effects, as well as those observed in non-stoichiometric thin films with various Bi contents, were used to explain the barrier-like action of the seeds in reactions between film and Pt electrodes and their contribution to the improvement of  thin-film properties.

Diffusion Processes in Seeded and Unseeded SBT Thin Films with Varied Stoichiometry. G.G.Aguilar, A.Wu, M.A.Reis, A.R.Ramos, I.M.M.Salvado, E.Alves, M.E.V.Costa: Surface Science, 2006, 600[9], 1780-6