A chelating and spin-coating procedure was used to prepare antiferroelectric thin films of Pb0.99Nb0.02[(Zr0.84Sn0.16)(0.982)Ti-0.018](0.98)O-3. By controlling substrate and thermal processing conditions, films with strong (100) and (I 11) textures, as well as without textures, were prepared. These anti ferroelectric films showed the characteristic double hysteresis polarization vs. electric field loops. An orientation dependence of the critical field for the anti ferroelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition was also observed. In addition, when the applied voltage exceeded a critical level during the first "ramp up," an abnormal reduction in the area of the hysteresis loop was noticed in the (100) and (I 11) textured films. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.