Characterization of Pb0.97Nd0.02(Zr0.55Ti0.45)O3 thin films prepared by pulsed laser ablation

Pulsed laser ablation was used to deposit Nd‐doped lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films with thickness 100–200 nm from a Pb0.97Nd0.02(Zr0.55Ti0.45)O3 target. The films were ablated onto sapphire substrates with R‐plane surfaces, without heating and at a pressure of 5×10−5 mbar using a XeCl excimer laser (pulse energy about 50 mJ, wavelength 308 nm, pulse duration about 20 ns). Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of x rays was used for the composition analysis of both annealed and unannealed (amorphous) films deposited using various substrate‐target distances and laser‐beam fluences. It was found that the distance between target and substrate together with the laser‐beam energy density on the surface of the target had a significant effect on the composition of the films. From the composition analysis, a suitable range of values was found for the target‐substrate distance and fluence to deposit films with correct composition of each component. Lead deficiency was also found in the films in the case of ...