Preparation and Characterization of Sol-Gel Derived PZT Thin Films for Micro Actuators

Abstract

The Pb(Zr_1-xTi_x)O₃, (PZT) of thickness of 3μm was fabricated using Sol-Gel spinning-coating onto Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates. The preferred orientation of the PZT films was observed using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and the microstructure was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The preferred orientations in the direction of the (100) plane were obtained using the treatment for pyrolysis at 573K and for crystallization at 823K. The present PZT films showed dielectric constants about 1200. Ferroelectricity of these films was established with the values of the remnant polarization of 12.5μC/cm² and the coercive field of 29.0kV/cm.