Fabrication and electrical properties of lead zirconate titanate thick films using a new sol-gel processing technique

Lead zirconate titanate (Pb (Zr0.53Ti0.47) O-3, PZT) ferroelectric films 2- 60 mum in thickness have been successfully fabricated on Pt-coated oxidized Si substrates (Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si) by a new sol-gel-based process. The films ar e a 0-3 ceramic-ceramic composite formed by dispersing ceramic powders in a sol-gel solution. The precursor solution for spin coating was prepared fro m lead acetate, tetrabutyl titanate, and zirconium nitrate. The microstruct ure and morphology of the prepared PZT thick films were investigated via X- ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy techniques. XRD a nalysis shows that the thick films possess single-phase perovskite-type str ucture, no pyrochlore phase exists in thick films, and SEM micrographs sugg est that the PZT thick films were uniform, dense, and crack free. A dielect ric constant of 860, loss tangent of 0.03, remanent polarization of 25 mu C cm(-2), and a coercive field of 40 kV cm(-1) were measured on 50 mum thick films. (C) 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.