Microstructure and Electrical Properties of Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films Deposited by Excimer Laser Ablation

Abstract

Thin films of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) were prepared by excimer laser ablation on a Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate and were crystallized by subsequent annealing at 750°C for 90 min. Crystalline phases in the PZT films were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis. The microstructure and composition of the films were studied by transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. It is found that the films consist almost entirely of the perovskite phase, but a thin layer of the pyrochlore phase exists at the surface of the films. Electrical properties of these films were evaluated by measuring P–E hysteresis loops and dielectric constants. The remanent polarization and the coercive field of the films were 23.9 µC/cm2 and 60.5 kV/cm, respectively, while the dielectric constant and loss values measured at 1 kHz were approximately 950 and 0.04, respectively. The effect of the microstructure on the electrical properties of the PZT thin films is discussed.