Pulse poling within 1 second enhance the piezoelectric property of PZT thin films

We have succeeded in enhancing the piezoelectric property of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films by employing “pulse poling” technique. We have fabricated MEMS-based microcantilevers using Pb(Zr_0.52,Ti_0.48)O₃ (MPB-PZT) thin films. By applying 1 kHz and 100 V of unipolar triangle pulse voltage, the transverse piezoelectric constant -d₃₁ of the PZT thin film has been enhanced as high as 105 pm/V, which is larger than the dc-poled PZT thin films (78 pm/V). The -d₃₁ of pulse-poled the PZT thin films measured under the unipolar actuation at 0-12 V reaches 158 pm/V. The results indicate that only 1 second of pulse poling gives better piezoelectric property of the PZT thin films compared to several minutes of dc poling.