Processing and sol chemistry of a triol-based sol-gel route for preparing lead zirconate titanate thin films

A triol-based sol-gel system has been developed for the fabrication of thin films of lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Starting reagents were lead acetat e, zirconium and titanium isopropoxides, acetylacetone, and 1,1,1-tris(hydr oxymethyl)ethane (THOME), with 2-methoxyethanol (MOE) being used to dilute the sols for spin coating purposes. Preliminary characterization by NMR spe ctroscopy suggested that the gels consisted of the metal ions and bound THO ME, acetylacetonate, and acetate residues, with some possible M-O-M bridges . Uncracked 0.4 mu m single-layer PZT films of nominal composition PbZr0.53 Ti0.47O3 were prepared on platinized substrates, Dielectric and ferroelectr ic properties were determined for samples made from sols containing 10 and 15 mol% excess lead acetate, Improved values were obtained for samples made from sols containing the higher excess; these exhibited a remanent polariz ation of 34 mu C.cm(-1), a coercive field of 54 kV.cm(-1), and a relative p ermittivity of 1000.