Preparation and characterization of lead zirconate titanate thin films derived by hybrid processing: Sol-gel method and pulsed laser deposition

Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O-3 (PZT) thin films were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by hybrid processing: sol-gel method and pulsed laser deposition. The temperature of postcleposition annealing in hybrid'processing is 650degreesC, and is lower than that in the case of direct film deposition by pulsed laser deposition on a Pt/Ti/SiO2 /Si substrate. The preferred orientation of the PZT films obtained by hybrid processing can be controlled using the seeding layer obtained by the sol-gel process. The TEM image showed that the PZT films have a pofycrystalline columnar microstructure extending throughout the thickness of the film and no sharp interface was observed between the layers obtained by the sol-gel method and the pulsed laser deposition process. Electrical properties of the films were evaluated by measuring their P-E hysteresis loops and dielectric constants. The 1-mum-thick PZT films fabricated by hybrid processing consist of mainly the perovskite phase with a (111)-preferred orientation and have good ferroelectric properties. The ferroelectric parameters were remanent polarization P-r = 23.6 muC/cm(2), and coercive field E-c = 54.8 kV/cm.