| Ferroelectrics are non-linear materials with attractive electrical properties suitable for non-volatile memory devices and thermal imaging applications. There has been focused interest in the past two decades to deposit ferroelectric thin films in monolithic form. Efforts are currently underway in search of materials with superior ferroelectric properties and lower processing temperatures as well as integration of ferroelectrics with semiconductors.;Antimony sulfo-iodide (SbSI), a member of the V-VI-VII group, has superior ferroelectric properties suitable for thermal imaging applications. The present study involved deposition of stoichiometric, crystalline SbSI thin films on suitable substrates using the physical vapor transport (PVT) technique. The growth conditions were correlated to structural and ferroelectric properties of the film especially the relative dielectric constant and the pyroelectric current. In addition, the role of using an antimony sulfide buffer layer in crystalline orientation of SbSI thin films was studied. The suitability of SbSI thin films for thermal imaging applications was established. A preliminary study of deposition of SbSI thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique was also conducted. |
