A Study of UV-Photolysis Effects on Ferroelectricity in PZT Thin Films

Abstract

Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ thin films were fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by the sol-gel method. A UV-photolysis process was added before the final annealing of the coated films. This UV-photolysis process made it possible to lower the crystallization temperature and to stabilize the film surface and interface during the annealing process. The UV-photolysis-processed PZT thin films exhibited enhanced ferroelectricity and a lower leakage current density than the non-treated ones. It is thought that the UV-treatment process is a very effective in enhancing ferroelectric and electrical properties for the ferroelectric random access memory device applications.

Keywords:

• UV exposure
• photolysis
• PZT film
• ferroelectric
• photoluminescence

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This work was supported by grant No. R01-2003-000-10027-0 from the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation.