Low-temperature sintering of ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thick films derived from stable sol-gel solutions

We have studied sintering, and densification of PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) films derived from diol-based sol-gel solutions. We found that densification by sintering began at below 750degreesC and completed at 850degreesC in 5 min. Initially, 0.83-mum-thick PZT single-coated films were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates from stable propylene-glycol (1,2-propanediol)-based solutions by crystallization at 700degreesC. The crystallized films consisted of fine perovskite grains and voids. We studied the firing temperature dependence of various properties such as microstructure, crystallinity, and ferroelectric properties for the single-coated films. Finally, 0.54-mum-thick PZT single-coated dense films were prepared by firing at 850degreesC for 5 min. In order to prepare thicker PZT dense films, we studied low-temperature sintering of PZT multicoated thick films. Using this approach, 1.7-mum-thick PZT dense films were prepared by firing at 850degreesC for 5 min.