A Study on the Crystalline Orientation and Electromechanical Properties of PZT and Doped PZT Thin Films by Using the Sol-Gel Method

Abstract

This study investigated the crystalline orientation and electromechanical characteristics of PZT films fabricated with various concentrations of sol-gel solution, and dopants such as Nb and Zn. Crack-free and 1-μm-thick films with a pure perovskite phase were obtained on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si by modified sol-gel deposition method. The degree of (111) orientation was promoted by a higher concentration of a sol-gel solution. Excellent electromechanical characteristics were measured in PZN-PZT films. The highest remnant polarization and d₃₃ piezoelectric coefficient were 25.1 μC/cm² and 240 pC/N, respectively. The sol-gel driven PZN-PZT films could be attractive for application to piezoelectrically operated microelectronic devices.

Keywords:

• Piezoelectric
• Sol-gel
• PZT thin films
• dopant
• Crystalline orientation

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) grant funded by the Korean government (MEST). (Grant code: 2010-0024231).