Effects on the mechanism of nucleation and orientation of amorphous PZT nano thin film treated by different crystallization technics

Abstract

Pb(Zr048Ti052)O3(PZT) thin films were prepared on the Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by RF_ magnetron sputtering method at room temperature. After rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and conventional furnace annealing (CFA) at different temperatures, the amorphous films were transformed into polycrystalline PZT thin films with (100) and (111) orientation, respectively. The phase formation and degree of orientation were investigated by x_ray diffraction (XRD). The surface micro_structure and ferroelectric domains formed by the spontaneous polarization in the corresponding region were observed by atom force microscopy and piezoresponse force microscopy. The distribution character of the ferroelectric domains with different preferred orientation in the films were studied. The result shows the perovskite PZT crystalline was found to hetero_nucleate epitaxially on top of the PtPb intermetallic phase at the PZT/Pt interface during RTA. The crystallizing speed along the interface is much faster than perpendicular to the film surface. While the nucleation of the films annealed by CFA dominantly homo_nucleate around the defects and impurities in the films. Different preferred orientation growth is attributed to different nucleation mechanism.