Sol gel derived PZT thin films for MEMS applications

Crack-free ferroelectric thin films of lead zirconate titanate (Pb (Zr-x Ti1-x) O-3: PZT) with thickness of 3 mum for micro actuators were fabricated using Sol-Gel spin coating onto Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates. The well-crystallized perovskite phase and the preferred orientations in the direction of the (100) plane were obtained using the heat treatment for dry at 120 degreesC, for pyrolysis at 300 degreesC and for crystallization at 600 degreesC. The prepared films showed fine-grained structure with smooth surface. The dielectric constant and loss value of the films measured at 1kHz was approximately 1250 and 0.04, respectively. The remnant polarization and the coercive field were 45.5 muC/cm(2) and 58.5 kV/cm. Our results suggest that fabrication of good structural quality PZT film of a few micrometers thick for use in micro actuators is possible.