Goodbye BST: Why TAISC Switched to Lead Strontium Titanate for Next-Gen RF Tunability

TAISC, a semiconductor research center in Taiwan developing tunable microwave components for 5G and satellite communications struggled to maintain stable dielectric performance using conventional barium strontium titanate (BST) films. Under high-frequency operation, the BST layers exhibited non-linear permittivity shifts, high dielectric losses, and thermal drift-leading to unstable phase shifters and varactors in adaptive RF front-end modules.

To solve the issue, the center adopted Lead Strontium Titanate (PST) Thin Films, perovskite-structured ferroelectric materials engineered by substituting strontium into lead titanate to tune Curie temperature, dielectric constant, and polarization characteristics. PST thin films provide stronger ferroelectric response, lower dielectric loss, and enhanced tunability under moderate electric fields compared to BST. Deposited via pulsed laser deposition (PLD), RF sputtering, or metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), PST films maintain high crystalline quality, uniform thickness, and excellent thermal stability required for RF device performance.

https://www.qyresearch.com/reports/5516398/lead-strontium-titanate-thin-film

Core market data:

Global market size: USD 316 million
CAGR (2024-2030): 7.6%
Average price: USD 4,700 per ton
Annual production: 72 kilotons
Gross margin: 36%
Production capacity: 95 kilotons

List of Main players:

SCI Engineered Materials (USA)
QS Advanced Materials (USA)
Kurt J. Lesker (USA)
Target Materials (USA)
Kojundo Chemical (Japan)
Heeger Materials (China)
Xinkang Advanced Materials (China)
AbleTarget Limited (China)

1. By Deposition Method

Ferroelectric PST Film
Paraelectric PST Film
Pyroelectric PST Film
Electro-optic PST Film

2. By Strontium Substitution Level

Low Sr Content (0.05-0.15)
Medium Sr Content (0.15-0.30)
High Sr Content (Over 0.30)

3. By Thickness

Ultrathin (Below 50 nm)
Thin (50-300 nm)
Thick (Over 300 nm)

4. By Application

Semiconductor
Medical Device
Consumer Electronic
Automotive Electronic
Industrial Sensor

Case study for bidding

Time: February 2024
Supplier: Solmates BV (Netherlands)
Buyer: Qorvo, Inc. (U.S.)
Product: PLD-Deposited Lead Strontium Titanate Thin Films (x = 0.22, 250 nm, RF-tunable grade)
Quantity: 5.6 tons
Contract Value: USD 28 million
Delivery Timeline: January 2025

Detailed Application Scenario

Qorvo implemented Solmates' PST thin films for use in RF front-end tunable capacitors integrated into next-generation 5G and WiFi 7 smartphone modules. The medium strontium content (x = 0.22) provided an optimized balance of high dielectric permittivity, low loss tangent, and stable tunability across a wide temperature range.

The PLD-deposited PST layers demonstrated exceptional uniformity and low defect density, enabling reliable electric-field tuning essential for filters, matching networks, and phase shifters in high-frequency wireless systems. Their strong ferroelectric response allowed fast, low-power reconfiguration of RF circuits, improving signal quality and reducing insertion loss.

Qorvo selected these films due to their high tunability, thermal robustness, and compatibility with CMOS back-end processes, outperforming BST (barium strontium titanate) alternatives in certain RF tuning frequencies. This project highlighted the importance of lead strontium titanate thin films in advanced telecommunications hardware, enabling compact, energy-efficient, and high-performance RF modules for modern connectivity.

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