Low temperature fabrication of sol-gel PZT thin films and structural characterisation of C₆₀ precipitates formed in PZT-C₆₀ sol

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films were prepared at 400°C in air by using PZT solutions containing C₆₀, toluene, and acetic acid. All these additives provided well-developed perovskite PZT crystals, and the formation of pyrochlore crystals was suppressed. The 〈100〉 preferred orientation of perovskite PZT crystals was found to develop in the PZT thin films fabricated by using the solutions mixed with acetic acid. Needlelike and wirelike crystals of C₆₀ were observed to precipitate in a PZT solution containing C₆₀. The dielectric constant ε_r and the dielectric loss tan δ of a C₆₀ doped PZT multilayer film prepared at 400°C were measured to be ∼200 and ∼3%, respectively, for a frequency range of 500-20 000 Hz. The present low temperature sol-gel processing is expected to be utilised as a method of intermediate heat treatment for the fabrication of thick multilayer PZT films for microactuators and sensors.