Electrical properties and microstructure of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films deposited by pulsed-laser deposition

Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) thin films were prepared by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates and were crystallized by subsequent annealing at 750 °C for 90 min. Crystalline phases in the PZT films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The microstructure and composition of the films were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. It is found that the films consist almost entirely of the perovskite phase, but a thin layer of the pyrochlore phase exists at the surface of the films. Electrical properties of these films were evaluated by measuring P–E hysteresis loops and dielectric constants, and the effect of the microstructure on the electrical properties of the PZT thin films is discussed.