Abstract
The well-crystallized and highly (111)-oriented Pb(Zr0.4Ti0.6)O3(PZT) thin films were prepared using sol-gel process. The P-V curves and switching current characteristics of PZT thin films were investigated as a function of annealing temperature. With increasing the annealing temperature from 400°C to 700°C, the P-V hysteresis loop became more rectangular shaped, the remnant and saturated polarizations increased, and the activation field decreased. The remnant polarization (P r ) of the film annealed at 400°C and 700°C was 23 μC/cm2 and 29 μC/cm2, respectively. The switching current behavior depending on the annealing temperature was successfully observed. The value of activation field (α) decreased from 422 ± 27 kV/cm to 339 ± 28 kV/cm with increasing the annealing temperature. These ferroelectric properties of highly (111)-oriented PZT films were discussed in terms of the change in the grain size and domain configuration.