Effect of lead content on the performance of niobium‐doped {100} textured lead zirconate titanate films

Niobium‐doped, {100} textured, gradient‐free, lead zirconate titanate ( PZT ) films were fabricated from solutions with different lead contents. Film lead content was controlled through changes in the average solution lead excess from 14.7% to 17 at.%. The low field dielectric response as well as the polarization‐electric field hysteresis loops were not a strong function of lead content. However, films with lower lead contents in the precursor tended to withstand higher poling fields than films prepared from more lead‐rich precursors. Although no residual PbO was observed at the grain boundaries, films prepared from more lead‐rich solutions had higher levels of grain‐boundary porosity, lower breakdown strengths, and lower threshold electric fields at which cracking was observed.