Sol–gel deposition and characterization of lead zirconate titanate thin film using different commercial sols

Abstract

The sol–gel technique is a major deposition method of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), because of its good uniformity and simplicity. At present, different PZT sols are commercially available, and users are interested in which sol best fits their application and deposition tool. In this study, PZT thin films were deposited using different commercial sols, and their characteristics were evaluated and compared in terms of film thickness, crystal orientation, and ferroelectric property. We found that a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperature of 650 ℃ and a drying temperature of 180 ℃ were suitable as starting conditions regardless of the PZT sol. Under these conditions, the piezoelectric constant d31 is more than 75 pm/V. Optimization can be carried out efficiently by each user under these conditions.