Improvement in ferroelectric properties of PZT thick films prepared by a modified sol–gel technique using low temperature laser annealing

Low temperature continuous-wave CO2 laser annealing technique was successfully adopted to fabricate ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3(PZT) thick films of different thickness on a Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate using powder-mixing and sol–gel spin coating process. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) results showed that laser annealing provides an extremely efficient way to crystallize the materials. Films of type-I with thickness of 5 μm showed cracks and rough surface morphology, indicating the importance of controlling interfacial stress and choosing appropriate size of the mixing powders. Better microstructure was observed in the type-II films. Type-II PZT film 5 μm thick and annealed at 121 W cm2 exhibited better ferroelectric properties (Pr = 15.86 μ C cm2) compared to type-I PZT film. The results indicated that porosity and electrical properties of thick films can be controlled using appropriate processing parameters, suggesting the applicability of continuous-wave CO2 laser annealing in the fabrication of PZT films.