Effects of Annealing Temperature on Crystal Structure and Microstructure of PZT Thin Films (52/48) Prepared by RF Magnetron Sputtering

In this research, the effects of annealing temperatures on the crystallization and morphology of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) thin films on (111) Pt/Ti/SiO2/(100)Si and (111) Au/Cr/(100)Si substrates prepared by RF magnetron sputtering were investigated. Two types of thin films: PZT/Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si and PZT/Au/Cr/Si were obtained from a Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 ceramic target and were annealed at different temperatures of 600 °C, 650 °C, and 700 °C for 1 h, in air, with heating rate of 5 °C/min. The XRD studies showed that the crystal structures of the PZT thin films could be affected by varying annealing temperatures. The annealed PZT thin films exhibited perovskite structures that crystallographic orientations increased remarkably with annealing temperatures. Phases of PZT thin films on two types of substrates oriented differently. The FE-SEM images along with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) studies confirmed the homogeneous and compact films. The increase of annealing temperatures virtually caused the decrease of PZT thin-film thickness, increase of densification of the films, and increase of PZT grain size. Moreover, the phase composition state of the PZT thin films changed quantitatively with increase in annealing temperatures. The dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of PZT thin films will be further investigated.