Abstract
The antiferroelectric Pb0.99[(Zr0.6Sn0.4)0.96Ti0.04]0.98Nb0.02O3 thin films were prepared by a sol-gel process with different heat treatments. The films pyrolysed in the temperature range from 350 °C to 600 °C for each spin-on layer, consisted of spherulitic grains (rosettes) and fine pyrochlore phase around them. But for the thin films heat-treated at 700 °C, the rosettes clung to each other and the pyrochlore phase disappeared. The films heat-treated at 700 °C represented the highest dielectric constants and spontaneous polarization values, and showed little degradation in polarization up to 108 switching cycles.