CRYSTALLIZATION OF PB(ZR,TI)O-3 FILMS PREPARED BY RADIO-FREQUENCY MAGNETRON SPUTTERING WITH A STOICHIOMETRIC OXIDE TARGET

Highly oriented and ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 (or PZT) thin films wer e obtained by radio frequency magnetron sputtering of a stoichiometric oxide target (Zr/Ti ratio of 53/47). No excess lead was used either d uring sputtering or during postdeposition annealing. Films deposited a t 200 degrees C or below crystallize into a perovskite phase upon rece iving anneal treatment at 590 degrees C or above. The annealing study, carried out using a conventional furnace, also revealed that the pero vskite formation is completed during the first 5 min of annealing. The annealed films are highly (100) oriented on (111)-Pt coated oxidized Si substrates. Maximum polarization of 36 mu C/cm(2), remanent polariz ation of 20 mu C/cm(2) and coercive field of 22 kV/cm were obtained wi th excellent fatigue resistance. This suggests that the low thermal-bu dget process (i.e., low-temperature deposition and short-time anneal i n a conventional furnace) with a stoichiometric oxide target may be ap propriate as a reliable, simple, and economical method of preparing PZ T films. Depositions at 500 degrees C or higher, however, resulted in TixOy or ZrTiO4 films, suggesting that lead was significantly lost dur ing deposition. (C) 1995 American Vacuum Society.