Dependence of fracture toughness on annealing temperature in Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 thin films produced by metal organic decomposition

Lead zirconate titanate Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O-3 (PZT) thin films were grown on Pt/Ti/Si(001) by metal organic decomposition (MOD). The effects of the annealing procedure on the crystalline microstructure, hysteresis loops, and fracture toughness of PZT thin films were investigated by x-ray diffraction, RT66A analyzer, and Vickers indentation method, respectively. It was found that the fracture toughness, crystalline microstructure, and ferroelectric properties depend on the annealing procedure. When the annealing temperature is in the range of 600-750 degreesC, the higher the annealing temperature, the better the crystalline quality. The fracture pattern diagram, as a function of indentation load and annealing temperature, was introduced to describe the fracture characteristics of PZT thin film induced by indentation load. With the increase of annealing temperature from 600 degreesC to 750 degreesC, the fracture toughness of PZT thin films decreased from 0.492 MPa m(1/2) to 0.478 MPa m(1/2).