We report the successful deposition of highlyc-axis oriented CaBi2Nb2O9(CBN) thin films directly onp-type Si(100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The CBN thin films exhibited good structural, dielectric, and CBN/Si interface characteristics. The electrical measurements were conducted on CBN thin films in a metal–ferroelectric–semiconductor (MFS) capacitor configuration. The typical measured small signal dielectric constant and the dissipation factor at a frequency of 100 kHz were 80 and 0.051, respectively. The leakage current of the MFS capacitor structure was governed by the Schottky barrier conduction mechanism and the leakage current density was lower than 10−7A/cm2at an applied electric field of 100 kV/cm. The capacitance–voltage measurements on MFS capacitors established good ferroelectric polarization switching characteristics. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.