Perovskite crystallization of sol-gel processed (Pb,La0.06,Gd0.02)(Zr0.65,Ti0.35)O3 thin films: Dielectric, ferroelectric and optical properties

Abstract

Ferroelectric lead lanthanum gadolinium zirconium titanate (PLGZT) thin films were prepared by the sol-gel spin coating technique. Three-step preannealing heat treatment was employed to prepare crack-free films. Various types of substrates, and the effects of the seed layer and annealing temperature on the perovskite crystallization were studied. Phase-pure perovskite crystallization was obtained by annealing the films on PbTiO3/Pt/Ti/Si substrates at 700 °C for 30 min. The Auger electron spectroscopy depth profile showed uniform elemental distribution along the thickness except the surface and interface regions. Dielectric constant and loss tangent at 10 kHz were 1000 and 0.06, respectively. Remanent polarization (Pr) and coercive field (Ec) were 11.8 μC/cm2 and 71 kV/cm, respectively. The direct band gap energy was 3.55 eV for the amorphous films. The refractive index and extinction coefficient at 610 nm for amorphous PLGZT films were 2.14 and 0.0028, respectively. The dispersion of the refractive index was interpreted in terms of a single electronic oscillator at 6.06 eV.