Characterization of thick lead zirconate titanate films fabricated using a new sol gel based process

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films 60 mu m in thickness have been fabricated using a new sol gel based process. PZT powders are dispersed in a sol gel matrix to form a 0-3 ceramic/ceramic composite. The dielectric properties of these films have been studied as a function of powder concentration, frequency, and temperature. The characteristic Curie point is observed at 420 degrees C. The ferroelectric behavior measured in terms of the remanant polarization (P-r=35 mu C/cm(2)) and coercive field (E(c)=20 kV/cm) was an improvement over values quoted for thin PZT films but lower than that of bulk ceramic. The piezoelectric properties d(33) (325 pC/N) and d(31) (-80 pC/N) were comparable with those of the bulk ceramic. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.