MgTiO3 thin films were prepared by r.f. magnetron sputtering in order to prepare miniaturized NPO type MLCCs.MgTiO3 films showed a polycrystalline structure of ilmenite characterized by the appearance of (110) and (202) peaks. Theintensity of the peaks decreased with an increase in the chamber pressure due to the decrease of crystallinity which resultedfrom the decrease of kinetic energy of the sputtered atoms. The films annealed at 600oC for 60min. showed a fine grainedmicrostructure without micro-cracks. The grain size and roughness of the MgTiO3 films decreased with the increase of chamberpressure. The average surface roughness was 1.425~0.313nm for MgTiO3 films prepared at 10~70mTorr. MgTiO3 films showeda dielectric constant of 17~19.7 and a dissipation factor of 2.1~4.9% at 1MHz. The dielectric constant of the films is similarto that of bulk ceramics. The dielectric constant and the dissipation factor decreased with the increase of the chamber pressuredue to the decrease of grain size and crystallinity. The leakage current density was 10−5~10−7A/cm2 at 200kV/cm and this valuedecreased with the increase of the chamber pressure. The small grain size and smooth surface microstructure of the filmsdeposited at high chamber pressure resulted in a low leakage current density. MgTiO3 films showed a near zero temperaturecoefficient and satisfied the specifications for NPO type materials. The dielectric properties of the MgTiO3 thin films preparedby sputtering suggest the feasibility of their application for MLCCs.

• Park, Sang-Shik