Self-poled Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 films with improved pyroelectric properties via the use of (La0.8Sr0.2)MnO3/metal substrate heterostructures -: art. no. 022907

Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 (PZT) thin films were deposited on different substrate heterostructures including platinized silicon, stainless steel and Ni-based alloy foils. A buffer layer of (La0.8Sr0.2)MnO3 (LSMO) between PZT and substrate was used. The pyroelectric coefficients were determined using low frequency sinusoidal temperature waves. It is demonstrated that PZT films deposited on metallic foils exhibit high pyroelectric coefficients of up to 760 muC/Km(2) in the unpoled state, whereas the films deposited on platinized substrates were found to have pyroelectric coefficients in the range of 30 muC/Km(2). These results are explained in terms of elemental diffusion from the substrate together with stressed states of the films. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.