Enhancement of (100) Orientation and Dielectricity in PZT Thin Films Prepared by Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Method

PZT thin films with a sol–gel-derived seed layer of Pb1.2(Zr0.3, Ti0.7)O3 were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates via the magnetron sputtering process. The purpose of this present study was to investigate the influence of sputtering process parameters and heat treatment parameters on the crystal orientation, microstructure, and dielectric behaviors of PZT films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that the (100) orientation degree of the PZT films first increases and then decreases with the increase in oxygen partial pressure during sputtering. The PZT film annealed at a temperature of 550 °C exhibits a pure (100) perovskite phase. There are no significant changes in crystal orientation and the (100) orientation degree with increasing annealing time. An improved surface density, more uniform grains, and clear grain boundaries were detected by scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterization as the annealing time increased to 30 min. Optimal dielectricity was obtained in the film deposited on an O2/Ar composition of 10/90 with a sputtering pressure of 2 Pa and annealed at 600 °C for 30 min, which presents a permittivity of 852 and a loss factor of 0.026 at a frequency of 1 kHz and a remanent polarization of 18.5 μC/cm2.