Nanomechanical properties of lead zirconate titanate thin films by nanoindentation

The nanomechanical properties of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films were subjected to nanoindentation evaluation. A PZT thin film was created on a silicon substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The structure and surface morphology were analysed by x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Results show that PZT thin films were well ordered with a high (110) orientation and presented a pure perovskite-type structure and that the average roughness was reduced as the annealing temperature was increased. The Young's modulus and hardness increased as the rapid annealing temperature increased from 600 to 800degreesC, with the best results being obtained at 800degreesC.