Optical, dielectric and fatigue properties of sol-gel-derived 2 μm thick Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 ferroelectric films

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films of thickness approximate to 2 mum with a composition near the morphotropic phase boundary are successfully deposited on platinum-coated silicon substrates. The crystallization phase starts to appear at 500 degreesC. The crystal structure, optical and electrical properties are investigated in relation to the thickness and annealing temperature of the films. The dielectric constant is observed to increase as thickness goes up to approximate to 1.28 mum, and remains constant above that. At 700 degreesC, the dielectric constant and dissipation factor of approximate to 2 mum thick PZT film are approximate to850 and approximate to0.03, respectively. The film exhibits good optical transmissivity, and has a direct optical transition. The band Gap of a film annealed at 700degreesC is found to be 3.34 eV It has been observed that the n (lambda) data can be fitted to a Sellmeier-type dispersion relation. Ferroelectric PZT shows almost no degradation in its polarization after 10(4) switching cycles at an applied voltage of 5 V. The results of this study confirm that ferroelectric PZT thin films are very useful for applications in a variety of devices such as ferroelectric memories and microelectromechanical systems.