The dependence of ferroelectric and fatigue behaviors of PZT films on annealing conditions

Films of PZT about 0.2 μm thick with the composition PbZr_0.53Ti_0.47O₃ were prepared using the metalloorganic decomposition (MOD) process. The amorphous films produced by pyrolysis at 350°C were annealed at 550, 575, 600 and 650°C for 10 minutes, 1 hour or 4 hours. Films annealed at temperatures below 550°C showed no ferroelectric behavior while others annealed above 650°C showed signs of loss of ferroelectric behavior. Most films demonstrated satisfactory ferroelectric properties such as low switching voltage and high polarization values. Some PZT films also demonstrated fatigue life-time of more than 10⁹ switching reversals. The performance of the films was dependent on the annealing time and temperature. It was found that films with better initial polarization values did not necessarily demonstrate better fatigue behavior. The causes of film degradation as a result of switching based on the pinning of domains at grain boundaries triggered by the migration of pores is discussed.