PZT Thin Films with Decreasing Thickness Crystallized at 400°C

Abstract

For the application of PZT thin films in ferroelectric non-volatile memories, low-voltage switching is a crucial requirement. One way of lowering the operating voltage is to reduce the thickness of the PZT thin film. Using chemical solution deposition (CSD) we prepared continuous (PbZr_0.30Ti_0.70O₃) PZT 30/70 films with thicknesses decreasing from about 200 nm to as low as 25 nm. However, in order to obtain a ferroelectric response, the films should be at least 60–80-nm thin. The films were crystallized at 400°C for 5–120 minutes. The best P-E response was obtained for the films annealed for 10 and 30 minutes. The values of P_r and E_c were 20 μC/cm² and 210 kV/cm (10 mins), and 24 μC/cm² and 280 kV/cm (30 mins).

Keywords:

• PZT thin films
• chemical solution deposition (CSD)
• low-temperature crystallization
• ultra-thin films