Radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering from a composite target made of PbO pellets uniformly positioned on a metallic Ba disc has been utilized for BaPbO3 electrode deposition on 150 mm Si wafers. The reactive sputtering process has been analyzed in relation to sputtering parameters for composite targets with different percentage of PbO coverage. The process optimization method for in situ crystallized BaPbO3 thin film fabrication has been emphasized. The growth of BaPbO3 films has been discussed from the viewpoint of the BaO-PbO phase diagram and thermodynamics of Ban+1PbnO3n+1 (n=1, 2, infinity) phase formation. The microstructure analysis of the deposited films has been performed with atomic force microscopy and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The grazing angle XRD measurements reveal the formation of a Ba2PbO4 phase in the film fabricated at 450 degrees C. The Ba2PbO4 phase content decreases with decreasing substrate temperature. The BaPbO3 film deposited at a substrate temperature of 430 degrees C on naturally oxidized (001) Si wafers shows an electrical resistivity of 1.13 m Omega.cm. The BaPbO3 films deposited on SiO2 (native oxide)/Si wafer do not exhibit a preferred orientation whereas use of (111) Pt/SiO2/Si substrate results in highly (111)-oriented films. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.