In the present work, the effects of oxide buffer layers, such as ZrO2, CeO2 and TiO2, on the microstructure and electrical properties of (Pb0.97La0.02)(Zr0.87Sn0.10Ti0.03)O-3 (PLZST 2/87/10/3) antiferroelectric (AFE) thin films were investigated systematically. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures illustrated that the crystalline orientation and surface microstructure of PLZST 2/87/10/3 AFE thin films had a close relation with these oxide buffer layers. As a result, the final electrical properties of AFE films were tuned by these buffer layers. Electrical measurements result showed that the dielectric properties, polarization characteristic and current-field curves of AFE thin films could be tailored by selecting a proper oxide buffer layer. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.