Synthesis of Lead-Free CaTiO₃ Oxide Perovskite Film through Solution Combustion Method and Its Thickness-Dependent Hysteresis Behaviors within 100 mV Operation

Perovskite is attracting considerable interest because of its excellent semiconducting properties and optoelectronic performance. In particular, lead perovskites have been used extensively in photovoltaic, photodetectors, thin-film transistors, and various electronic applications. On the other hand, the elimination of lead is essential because of its strong toxicity. This paper reports the synthesis of lead-free calcium titanate perovskite (CaTiO₃) using a solution-processed combustion method. The chemical and morphological properties of CaTiO₃ were examined as a function of its thickness by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. The analysis showed that thicker films formed by a cumulative coating result in larger grains and more oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, thickness-dependent hysteresis behaviors were examined by fabricating a metal-CaTiO₃-metal structure. The electrical hysteresis could be controlled over an extremely low voltage operation, as low as 100 mV, by varying the grain size and oxygen vacancies.