Nanomechanical and Dielectric Properties of Sol-Gel Derived PZT Thin Films Annealed with Microwave Energy

Abstract

Lead zirconium titanate Pb (Zr0.58Ti0.42) O3 (PZT) thin films were deposited on silicon substrates by sol-gel process. The structural, morphological, dielectric and nano mechanical properties of these films have been studied systematically. The thicknesses of the films were around 160 nm. During the deposition of each layer, the films were baked in a microwave oven which in turn resulted in a low temperature crystallization of these thin films compared to the conventional method. The crystallite sizes of the films were ranged between 25–35 nm depending up on the annealing temperature. The dielectric constant of the films decreased with increase in frequency whereas the loss has increased and ranged between (480–100) and (0.03–0.30), respectively. The DFM (Dynamic force microscopy) images of the films shows the spherical grains with uniform microstructure and an average grain size of 80–110 nm. The hardness of the films ranged between 2–5 GPA. The film annealed at 600°C was having a dielectric constant of 400 with hardness of 4.8 GPa which is suitable combination of properties for micromechanical systems.