Effect of RuO2 growth temperature on ferroelectric properties of RuO2/Pb(Zr, Ti)O3/RuO2/Pt capacitors

We present a promising method for obtaining Pb(Zr, Ti)O3(PZT) layers with excellent endurance and pulse-switching properties on RuO2 electrodes using the sol–gel method. As the substrate temperature during reactive sputtering of the RuO2 bottom electrode layer is reduced, the (111) PZT texture component becomes more pronounced, an effect attributed to the change from columnar to granular RuO2 film morphology. Reducing the residual PZT (100) and (101) texture components was found to be a necessary condition for obtaining optimal pulse switching and endurance properties of the layers. Highly (111)-oriented PZT layers, obtained on RuO2 grown at 150 °C exhibit a net switched charge of >60 μC/cm2 during pulse measurement and <10% degradation after 1011 fatigue cycles.