Microstructure and electrical properties of lead zirconate titanate (Pb(Zr52/Ti48)O3) thick films deposited by aerosol deposition method

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films with a thickness of more than 10 mu m were prepared by the aerosol deposition method and their microstructure and chemical composition were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDX) analysis. A damage layer was observed at the interface between PZT and the Si substrate during the deposition. The microstructure of the as-deposited film at room temperature consisted of randomly oriented small crystallites with sizes of less than 40 nm and large crystallites of 100 nm to 300 nm size, which were observed in the primary powder. The Pb/Ti/Zr ratio along the film stacking direction and around the grain boundaries was almost the same as that observed inside the crystallites and the primary powder with a morphotropic phase boundary composition of (Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O-3) The marked improvement of the electrical properties observed in the deposited films after annealing was mainly due to the crystal growth of small crystallites.