PZT thin films produced by oxide precursors and crystallized by conventional and RTA process

Physical properties of ferroelectric thin films can be dependent on the preparation and crystallization process. This work reports studies on crystallinity, ferroelectric and dielectric properties of PZT thin films produced by an oxide precursor method and crystallized by conventional and RTA process. Grain sizes were estimated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to be around 100 nm. Films were deposited on Si and Pt/Si substrates and crystallized at 700°C for different times. For film crystallized by conventional furnace the remanent polarization (Pr) was about 7.8 μC/cm2 and the coercive field (Ec) was 99 kV/cm. On the other hand, for PZT film crystallized at the same temperature by the RTA method, the remanent polarization and coercive field were about 16 μC/cm2 and 73 kV/cm, respectively.