Raman scattering study of lead zirconate titanate thin films prepared on silicon substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Raman scattering is used to characterize thin films of PbTi1−xZrxO3. The films have been prepared on platinum-coated (100) silicon by radio-frequency (rf)-magnetron sputtering without substrate heating followed by a post-deposition annealing at 600–650 °C. As the concentration of Zr is increased, the Raman peaks broaden and their intensities decrease more rapidly compared with bulk ceramic or powder samples, while the background intensity increases. The observations show that the crystal structure of the films is locally deformed and significantly disordered. With increasing x, the soft E(TO) mode shifts to lower frequencies. An additional Raman peak appears besides the phonon peaks expected in a perfect crystal. The soft mode strongly couples with the extra mode, similarly with the case of ceramic samples. The results are related to features of the thin films such as a frustrated phase transition, i.e., smaller differences between the lattice parameters a and c in comparison with powder data, and an electrical behavior showing a diffuse ferroelectric-to-paraelectric transition with a broad peak.