Processing and characterization of PZFNT and PZFNT/PET thin films for pyroelectric applications

High quality ferroelectric thin films with the stoichiometry Pb(Zr0.58Fe0.2Nb0.2Ti0.02)O3 +10% PbO excess (PZFNT) have been processed via chemical solution deposition (CSD) on textured (111)Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates. The dielectric and pyroelectric properties are characterized. It is shown that the pyroelectric properties of PZFNT, including voltage response using a modulated IR-laser are quite low due to a low figure of merit. These properties are substantially improved using bimorph films of Er-doped PbTiO3 and PZFNT.