Heat treatment effects on the formation of lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate thin films

The microstructural and compositional properties of lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) thin films deposited on platinum coated Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering have been studied. The heat treatment processes of substrate heating during deposition and post deposition furnace and rapid thermal annealing were compared as processes for obtaining the desired pervoskite phase. PLZT thin films deposited with in-situ substrate heating showed little evidence of micro-cracking. The XRD data obtained showed the formation of pervoskite phase at 550 °C and indicated the suppression of the pyrochlore phase for increasing temperatures. The RBS analysis revealed a film thickness of 140 nm and composition of (Pb0.91La0.09)(Zr0.6Ti0.4)O3. Deposition performed with in-situ substrate heating at 650 °C resulted in highly (110) pervoskite orientated thin films with an average grain size around 160 to 200 nm and an RMS roughness of 3 nm.