Rapid Preparation of Lead Titanate Sputtering Target Using Spark-Plasma Sintering

PbTiO₃ sputtering targets 8 cm in diameter were prepared using spark-plasma sintering (SPS) for relatively short periods, ∼2 min. Submicrometer-sized PbTiO₃ powders with a relatively large size distribution were densified to ∼86% of the theoretical X-ray density using the SPS process. In contrast, large-sized (8 cm in diameter) ceramics could not be prepared from starting powders with a relatively narrow particle-size distribution. Formation of cracks in the large PbTiO₃ targets was observed when samples were prepared under higher pressures (>50 MPa) or at higher temperatures (>900°C). Crack formation was attributed to unrelaxed internal stress originating from lower pore contents and from an inhomogeneous distribution of cations in the ceramics prepared under these conditions.