Ca modified PbTiO3:: from the bulk ceramic to the film

A review on calcium modified lead titanate, (Pb1-xCax)TiO3 bulk ceramics, through its structural and ferroelectric properties is described as well as the interest for the preparation of these materials as thin films. References to applications of these films, such as small electronic devices, are also reported. New experimental results on thin films with large Ca contents, fabricated by the sol-gel method, are reported. Results show that thin films have similar properties than bulk ceramics, but somewhat rather depressed. x-T phase diagram is discussed based on the current knowledge, on the relaxor phase appearance and on structural models. The singular dielectric properties of these thin films with x=0.5, are considered for applications in high density dynamic random access memories (DRAM) and electronic components for high frequency (varactors).