Properties of ferroelectric films based on Nb-modified PZT produced by PLD technique

According to the general formula Pb1−X/2 (Zr0.65 Ti0.35)1−X NbX O3+4 mol% PbO excess (X=1 and 4%) lead niobium zirconate titanate (PZTN) ferroelectric films were deposited by ablation technique on Pt coated Si, and MgO(1 0 0) substrates using either a Nd:YAG (355 nm) or a XeCl (308 nm) excimer laser. X-ray diffraction was used to determine the crystallographic structure as well as to identify the presence of secondary phases, i.e. non-perovskite phases. The frequency dependent effective dielectric function of PZTN samples produced using different lasers was measured experimentally and modeled. Also, the ferroelectric behaviour of the as-deposited films was studied using a modified Sawyer–Tower bridge.