Sol-gel derived nanocrystalline thin films of PbTiO3 on glass substrate

Thin films of PbTiO3 have been prepared on soda-lime glass substrates. The sol was prepared by mixing tetrapropyl orthotitanate and lead acetate trihydrate in acetic acid. The films were deposited by spin coating and annealed at 500 degreesC for 30 min. The structural and optical properties of the films were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, W-VIS spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy and the m-line technique. The electrical properties of the film were studied with a Sawyer-Tower bridge. The films have a pure perovskite phase with a c/a ratio of 1.054 and consist of crystallites with a size of a few tens of nanometers. Raman studies show the typical phonon modes of PbTiO3, and the shift of the Raman peaks indicates that the films are stressed. The films are highly transparent and the absorption edge is approximately 3.70 eV. A two-layer film is found to support two TE and two TM modes at a wavelength of 633 nm. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.