Enhanced dielectric and ferroelectric properties of Pb(Zr0.8Ti0.2)O3∕Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 multilayered thin films prepared by rf magnetron sputtering

The Pb(Zr1−xTix)O3 multilayered films consisting of Pb(Zr0.8Ti0.2)O3 and Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 layers were deposited on LaNiO3(110)∕Pt∕Ti∕SiO2∕Si substrates by rf magnetron sputtering. All films comprise five periodicities, the layer thicknesses of rhombohedral (dR) and tetragonal (dT) phases in one periodicity are varied. The LaNiO3 buffer layer leads to the (101)∕(110) orientation of the films. The electrical properties of the films were investigated as a function of dR∕dT. The films with dR∕dT=1:2 possess enhanced dielectric and ferroelectric properties. The mechanism of the enhanced electrical properties was discussed, and it was found that the strain is also an important factor to affect electrical properties.