Oxygen plasma-assisted ultra-low temperature sol-gel-preparation of the PZT thin films

PbTi1-xZrxO3 (PZT) thin films prepared by sol-gel method have paid much attention due to the excellent per-formances in piezoelectric, dielectric, ferroelectric and electro-optical. However, the high crystallization tem-perature of the PZT thin films restricts the compatibility with modern COMS technology. In this work, PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) ferroelectric thin films were successfully prepared by sol-gel method at an ultra-low temperature (-450 degrees C) in an oxygen plasma-assisted environment. A large spontaneous polarization-30 mu C/ cm2 and a large dielectric breakdown-2,900 kV/cm were obtained in the sample annealed at 450 degrees C for 25 h. We believe that the oxygen plasma-assisted ultra-low temperature (OPAULT) annealing process is a promising way for the sol-gel technology applied in the modern COMS devices.