Properties of ferroelectric films based on Nb-modified PZT produced by PLD technique

Abstract According to the general formula Pb 1− X /2 (Zr 0.65 Ti 0.35 ) 1− X Nb X O 3 +4 mol% PbO excess ( X =1 and 4%) lead niobium zirconate titanate (PZTN) ferroelectric films were deposited by ablation technique on Pt coated Si, and MgO(1 0 0) substrates using either a Nd:YAG (355 nm) or a XeCl (308 nm) excimer laser. X-ray diffraction was used to determine the crystallographic structure as well as to identify the presence of secondary phases, i.e. non-perovskite phases. The frequency dependent effective dielectric function of PZTN samples produced using different lasers was measured experimentally and modeled. Also, the ferroelectric behaviour of the as-deposited films was studied using a modified Sawyer–Tower bridge.