RF magnetron sputter-deposition of La{sub 0.5}CoO{sub 3}//Pt composite electrodes for Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3} thin film capacitors

La{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}CoO{sub 3} (LSCO) thin films have been deposited using RF magnetron sputter-deposition for use as an electrode material for PZT (PbZrTiO{sub 3}) thin film capacitors. Effect of O{sub 2}:Ar sputter gas ratio during deposition, on LSCO film properties was studied. It was found that the resistivity of the LSCO films deposited at ambient temperature decreases as the O{sub 2}: Ar ratio was increased for both as-deposited and annealed films. It was also found that thin overlayers of LSCO tend to stabilize the underlying Pt//Ti electrode structure during subsequent thermal processing. The LSCO//Pt//Ti composite electrode stack has a low resistivity and provides excellent fatigue performance for PZT capacitors. Furthermore, the LSCO//Pt//Ti electrode sheet resistance does not degrade with annealing temperature and the electrode does not display hillock formation. Possible mechanisms for the stabilization of the Pt//Ti electrode with LSCO overlayers are discussed.