Low-temperature fabrication (450°C) and evaluation of Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 thin films by reactive sputtering using (ZrTi + PbO) target

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Abstract
An rf reactive sputter deposition technique was adopted to deposit lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films from a ZrTi (50%/50%) alloy target combined with PbO pellets. A new deposition mode called the quasi-metallic mode was observed. Crystalline structure and Pb/(Zr + Ti) atomic ratio of the films prepared in the mode were investigated as functions of growth temperature and PbO area ratio. Perovskite PZT films were obtained at a growth temperature as low as 450°C. Lattice constants, depth profiles, ferroelectric, dielectric characteristics of the films prepared from the (ZrTi + 30% PbO) target were investigated. The perovskite films prepared at 450°C exhibit the remanent polarization of 20μC/cm2, the coercive field of 150 kV/cm, the dielectric constant as high as 561, and leakage current smaller than 10−6/cm2 at the electric field lower than 235 kV/cm.