Ferroelectric properties of (Pb0.97La0.03)(Zr0.66Ti0.34)0.9875O3 films deposited on Si3N4-coated Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition process

( Pb 0.97 La 0.03 )( Zr 0.66 Ti 0.34 ) 0.9875 O 3 , PLZT, thin films deposited on either LaNiO3 (LNO) or LNO/Pt coated Si3N4/Si substrates, possessing good ferroelectric properties, were successfully obtained by the pulsed laser deposition process. Using LNO/Pt as double layer electrodes not only resulted in PLZT films with superior electric properties, but also of better handling endurance. The former is attributed to the low surface resistivity of electrode materials (i.e., ρLNO/Pt=0.5 mΩ cm) due to the bypassing effect of the Pt layer, whereas the latter is ascribed to the induction of compressive stress on PLZT and LNO layers due to a relatively larger thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) of the Pt layer. The ferroelectric properties of (PLZT )LNO/pt films were Pr=16.5 μC/cm2 and Ec=63.5 kV/cm, while the dielectric constant and leakage current were K=1.028 and Je⩽8×10−6 A/cm2 (under 150 kV/cm), respectively. Their fatigue life was longer than 2×109cycles under action of 300 kV/cm pulse.