SOL-GEL PROCESSING AND PYROELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF HIGHLY ORIENTED PB(MG,ZN)(1 3)NB2/3O3 THIN-FILMS/

Thin films of Pb(Mg,Zn)(1/3)Nb2/3O3 (PMZN) were fabricated by spin cas ting the partially hydrolyzed Pb-Mg-Zn-Nb-O complex alkoxide sols on ( 111) Pt-coated MgO (100) planes, A strong preferential orientation of (100) perovskite was observed in the thin film derived from the sol ex hibiting pseudoplastic behavior. A small-angle X-ray scattering experi ment in the Pored region was performed to correlate the observed prefe rential orientation with the network structure of precursor in the PMZ N sol, It was shown that weakly branched precursor systems led to high ly oriented perovskite grains after thin-film formation, The highly (1 00) oriented PMZN film exhibited a larger pyroelectric coefficient (>2 mu C/(cm(2) . K)) and pyroelectric figure-of-merit (F-D > 4 x 10(-4) Pa--1/2) than the PMZN thin film having randomly oriented grains.