Preparation and stress evaluation of ferroelectric thin films of PZT based pyroelectric sensors

Abstract PZT films prepared by RF Magnetron sputtering show different prefered orientation with respect to sputtering conditions adopted. The films were under high stress as shown by the stress measurements. Domain formation and polarisation in ferroelectric thin films are known to be strongly influenced by the intrinsic stress. PZT microstructures with Pt bottom electrodes sputtered on silicon wafers were investigated using the Raman peak of the single crystalline silicon. The Raman shift profiles were found to be dependent on the particular geometry of the investigated structures and specific microstructure defects near the interfaces. An estimate of the stress in the PZT film was obtained by modelling the stress in the silicon as a function of distance from one interface using a finite element calculation.