Structural characteristics of lead-zirconatetitanate piezoelectric films around morphotropic phase boundary

Abstract

The structural characteristics of Lead-zirconate-titanate solid solution around the Morphotropic Phase Boundary was investigated using X-ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopy. The rhombohedral-tetragonal transformation was induced by firing the screen-printed PZT thick films between 960°C and 1200°C or annealing the laser-ablated PZT thin films between 500°C and 900°C. During the processing, lead was gradually evaporated, causing the composition of films moved from the original rhombohedral region to the tetragonal region. The XRD measurements showed the transformation starting at about 1000°C for the thick films and about 900°C for the thin films. But the Raman measurements show different results. This discrency indicates certain particular aspects of this transformation which are interpreted in a non-equilibrium displacement model