Characteristics of La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 thin films fabricated by a simple metal-organic decomposition technique

La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (LSCO) thin films were prepared using metal-organic decomposition method by spin-coating onto a Si (10 0) substrate. Both the structure and morphology of the films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscope. The LSCO thin films annealed at 550-700degreesC for 1 h showed a polycrystalline phase and dense microstructure. The results indicate the LSCO film shows good metallic properties. The resistivity of LSCO films annealed at 650degreesC showed minimum value of 0.354 X 10(-4) Omegacm. Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 (PZT) thin films grown on LSCO thin films showed no favored orientation and excellent ferroelectricity. The remanent polarization P-r and coercive field E-c are 19.5 muC/cm(2) and 1.38 V, respectively. Additionally, the PZT thin films deposited on LSCO substrate exhibited no significant degradation of switching charge at least up to 5 x 109 switching cycles at a frequency of 100 kHz below cycling fields of 5 V. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.