Ruddlesden-Popper Phase Formation in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Thin Films

Abstract

In this work, we give evidences of Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phase formation in Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 thin films deposited by multi-target reactive sputtering at a substrate temperature of 520°C onto oxidized silicon wafers comprising a ZrO 2 buffer layer. X-ray diffraction data of films deposited at 520°C revealed the appearance of a Pb 2 (Zr,Ti)O 4 RP phase. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images have proved the presence of a corresponding superstructure with a period of about 1.3 nm. It was nucleated on top of an amorphous, lead-enriched interface layer near the ZrO 2 /PZT interface. At higher substrate temperatures, when this amorphous interface layer disappears, a perovskite structure with a sharp interface was nucleated directly on the ZrO 2 buffer layer.