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

Lead zirconate titanate (Pb (, PZT) ferroelectric films 2–60 m in thickness have been successfully fabricated on Pt-coated oxidized Si substrates by a new sol-gel-based process. The films are a 0-3 ceramic–ceramic composite formed by dispersing ceramic powders in a sol-gel solution. The precursor solution for spin coating was prepared from lead acetate, tetrabutyl titanate, and zirconium nitrate. The microstructure and morphology of the prepared PZT thick films were investigated via X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy techniques. XRD analysis shows that the thick films possess single-phase perovskite-type structure, no pyrochlore phase exists in thick films, and SEM micrographs suggest that the PZT thick films were uniform, dense, and crack free. A dielectric constant of 860, loss tangent of 0.03, remanent polarization of , and a coercive field of were measured on 50 m thick films.