Microstructural and ferroelectric properties of PbZr 1− xTi xO 3 thin films prepared by the polymeric precursor method

Abstract

The polymeric precursor method was employed in the preparation of PZT thin films on Pt(111)Ti/SiO 2/Si(100) substrates. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the polycrystalline nature of the PZT (53:47) thin films, which had a granular structure and a grain size of approximately 70 nm. A 350-nm thick film was obtained by running three cycles of the dip-coating/heating process. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses showed the surface of these thin films to be smooth, dense and crack-free with low surface roughness (=2.0 nm). The PZT (53:47) thin films annealed at 700°C showed a well-saturated hysteresis loop. The C– V curves of perovskite thin film displayed normal ferroelectric behavior, while the remanent polarization (2 P r) and coercive field ( E c) of the film deposited and measured at room temperature were 40 μC/cm 2 and 110 kV/cm, respectively.