Orientation control of rhomboedral PZT thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates

Highly (111)- and (001)-oriented rhomboedral PZT thin films have been grown at 500 °C on platinized silicon substrates by in situ RF magnetron sputtering. Crystallization of the perovskite phase was possible provided that a thin TiOx buffer layer was deposited prior to the PZT. Control of PZT films orientation is demonstrated by changing the ratio in the plasma gas during the TiOx sputtering and its consequences on electrical properties of the ferroelectric samples are presented. The structural properties of the TiOx buffer layer were studied by means of transmission electronic microscopy in order to understand the relation between the TiOx seeding and the orientation control of the PZT film.