In present work, (Pb0.5Ba0.5)ZrO3 (PBZ) thin films with a thickness of 840 nm were successfully fabricated on (Sr0.95La0.05)TiO3 (SLT) buffer-layered Pt(1 1 1)/TiO2/SiO2/Si(1 0 0) substrates via the sol-gel technique. The effects of SLT buffer layer on the microstructure and electrical properties of PBZ thin films were investigated systemically. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicated that PBZ thin films on SLT buffer-layered substrates showed a more uniform structure with a random orientation. Dielectric measurements illustrated that PBZ films with SLT buffer layer displayed larger dielectric constant, improved tunability and enhanced figure of merit (FOM). Moreover, leakage current of PBZ films was also reduced by SLT buffer layer. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.