Microstructure and Electrical Properties of PZT Thin films Deposited by Laser Ablation on Template Layer

Thin films of Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48 )O 3 (PZT) were prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique on Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrates using a template layer derived by sol-gel processing. Crystalline phases and microstructure of the PZT films were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The use of the template layer favored the obtaining of (111) oriented crystalline PZT film with perovskite phase at relatively low temperature. Electrical properties of the films were evaluated by measuring their P-E hysteresis loops and dielectric constants. The PZT films fabricated by laser ablation on the template layer exhibited better ferroelectric properties than those derived directly on Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si. The remanent polarization and the coercive field of the film fabricated on the template layer and annealed at 650C were 31.28 w C/cm 2 and 45.29 kV/cm, while the dielectric constant and loss values measured at 1 kHz were approximately 1069 and 0.06, respectively.