Characterization of PZT thick films fabricated by micro-pen direct-writing

Abstract

Lead zirconate titanate thick films have been deposited on platinum coated alumina substrates using micro-pen direct-writing technique. The viscosity, film thickness, interface, surface roughness, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties were investigated with different paste rheology, scanning speed and distance between lines. The results showed that in order to obtain good film, the viscosity values should below 10 Pa S in the writing range, and the proper writing speed should be kept at 4 mm/s, while the distance between lines should be kept as 300 μm. Comparing with the sample prepared by screen printing, the dielectric constant was increased from 710 to 750 and the dielectric loss was decreased from 0.015 to 0.012. Moreover, the two samples had similar ferroelectric properties with the remanent polarization P r is 30 μC/cm2 and the coercive field E c is 18 kV/cm. These results mean that the Micro-pen writing is a very effective method to prepare thick films.