Preparation and electrical properties of highly (1 1 1) oriented antiferroelectric PLZST films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Highly (1 1 1) oriented lead lanthanum zirconate stannate titanate (PLZST) films were synthesized on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and electrical properties of the films were investigated as a function of post-annealing temperature. Smooth and crack-free films obtained by post-annealing at 700 °C for 30 min, and exhibit a dense columnar microstructure with a grain size of ∼0.85 μm. The sputtered PLZST films of nominal composition Pb_0.97La_0.02 (Zr_0.60Sn_0.30Ti_0.10)O₃ display a high saturation polarization of ∼70 μC cm⁻², a low antiferroelectric-to-ferroelectric switching field (<100 kV cm⁻¹), a reasonable dielectric constant and a low loss tangent. This combination of properties makes them attractive for microdevice applications.