A phenomenological approach was used to obtain critical information about the structure and electrical properties of ultra thin Ba 0.05Sr 0.95TiO 3 (BSTO) layers over Nb electrodes. The method allows, in a simple way, to study and to optimize the growth of the barrier in order to improve the performance and application of Josephson junctions. A very good control of the layer thickness with a low roughness was achieved during the deposition process. The BSTO layers present an energy barrier of 0.6 eV and an attenuation length of 0.4 nm, indicating its good insulating properties for the development of Josephson junctions with improved performance. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.