Low-Temperature Processing of PZT Thick Film by Seeding and High-Energy Ball Milling and Studies on Electrical Properties

Abstract

Lead zirconate titanate thick film with molecular formula PbZr0.52Ti0.42O3 (PZT) was prepared by a modified conventional sol–gel method through seeding and high-energy ball milling, resulting in perovskite phase formation at lower temperatures. The ball-milling time was optimized by keeping the seed particle loading (5 wt.%) constant in the sol–gel solution. This methodology helped in reduction of the crystalline phase formation temperature to 300°C, which is much lower than that reported in the literature (450°C). The well-established perovskite phase was confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of PZT films revealed uniform and crystalline microstructure. Film prepared by this methodology showed higher spontaneous polarization (2.22 μC/cm2), higher capacitance (1.17 nF), and low leakage current density (18 μA/cm2). The results obtained from ferroelectric characterization showed a strong correlation with the XRD and SEM results.