Crystal structure and piezoelectric properties of hydrothermally deposited (K,Na,Li)NbO3 epitaxial thick films br

Epitaxial films of (K,Na,Li)NbO3 with 10 over line m thickness and various Li contents were fabricated at 240 degrees C on (001)La:SrTiO3 substrates by a hydrothermal method, and their crystal structures and piezoelectric properties were investigated. The film thickness was controlled by varying the deposition time (up to 3.5 h) and the number of deposition cycles. Scanning electron microscopy observations showed that dense thick films were formed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements showed that {001}c-oriented epitaxial films were deposited, and the outof-plane lattice constant changed with an increase in the nominal composition A = [LiOH]/([KOH] + [NaOH] + [LiOH]) of the alkaline source solution. High-temperature XRD measurement revealed that with an increase in A, the Curie temperature increased, while the orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition temperature decreased from 210 to 120 degrees C. These structural changes indicate that the Li content in the thick films can be controlled by varying A. The dielectric properties depend on the measurement frequency, and the minimum relative dielectric permittivity at all frequencies was observed at A = 0.02. Curves of field-induced strain vs. electric field showed that the maximum normalized strain of Smax/Emax = 40 pm/V was observed at A = 0.03, indicating that Li substitution is an effective way to improve the piezoelectricity of the hydrothermally deposited (K,Na)NbO3 thick films. Interestingly, all thick films exhibited a piezoelectric response despite the applied electric field being lower than the coercive field. Moreover, the Smax/Emax value did not change significantly with an increasing applied electric field. These results suggest that the hydrothermally deposited (K,Na,Li)NbO3 thick films adopt a selfpolarized state without poling treatment. (c) 2022 The Ceramic Society of Japan. All rights reserved.