Electrical properties and microstructure of lead zirconate titanate thin film in situ grown by hybrid processing: Sol-gel method and pulsed laser deposition

Highly oriented Pb(Zr_xTi_1-x)O₃ (PZT) thin films were in situ grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by a hybrid process combining the sol-gel method and pulsed-laser deposition (PLD). Crystalline phases and preferred orientation of the PZT films were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Surface morphology and microstructure were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Electrical properties of the films were evaluated by measuring their P-E hysteresis loops and dielectric constants. The preferred orientation of the films deposited by hybrid processing can be controlled using the layer deposited by the sol-gel method. The deposition temperature required to obtain the perovskite phase in hybrid processing is 460°C, and is significantly lower than that in the case of direct film deposition by PLD on a Pt/Ti/SiO ₂/Si substrate. The dielectric constant and remanent polarization of the films in situ deposited at 460°C were approximately 900 and 15 μC/cm², respectively.