Aqueous sol-derived ferroelectric thin films of PbTiO3 directly on Si(100) substrate

Ferroelectric thin films of PbTiO3 are prepared directly on Si(100) substrate for the first time by spin coating an aqueous sol of lead and titanium hydroxy complex and post annealing at various temperatures. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that the films are polycrystalline in nature. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that the films 0.3 μm in thickness are essentially crackfree. Since there is no organic content in the precursor solution, post deposition shrinkage is reduced. This helps to decrease the possibility of film cracking. The ferroelectric properties of the films are comparable to those obtained by the complex alkoxide route and other expensive techniques.