Synthesis and optical characterization of Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 thin films on indium tin oxide/quartz substrates by a simplified sol-gel route

Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O-3 (PZT 53/47) thin films were deposited onto commercial indium tin oxide (ITO)/quartz substrates using a simplified sol-gel acetic-acid route developed at our laboratory. The films were fully crystallized to the perovskite phase with the final surface roughness remaining relatively low (around 2 nm). Optical properties were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and UV-Vis reflection and transmission spectroscopy. Optical reflection and transmission were applied to determine film thickness, optical constants and energy band gap. A multi-layer oscillator model was assumed, with the film consisting on a bottom ITO-layer, an intermediate dense PZT layer and a top PZT + voids layer. A reasonably good fit was attained with the selected model. Hysteresis loops and ferroelectric fatigue confirmed that substitution of platinum by ITO as bottom electrode improves the ferroelectric behavior and maintains a reasonably good fatigue resistance.