Impact of crystallisation processes on depth profile formation in sol–gel PbZr0·52Ti0·48O3 thin films

AbstractAbstractThis study revealed the influence of crystallisation processes on the homogeneity of the sol–gel PbZr0·52Ti0·48O3 thin films, allowing identification and further optimisation of thin film performance. Crystallisation processes determine the optical gradient appearance, irrespective of the chemical solvents used in this work. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that a refractive index gradient was apparent in the samples which had dominant (001)/(100) orientation and significant change of lattice parameters with thickness.