Enhanced electrical properties of Pb(Zr0.80Ti0.20)O3 thick films prepared by a modified sol–gel technique

Ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.80Ti0.20)O3 thick films (5.0 μm) were grown on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by a modified sol–gel technique. In this process, PZT nanopowders were prepared via sol–gel, and then these powders were dispersed in a precursor sol to form a slurry. Slurry and PZT precursor solution were spin-coated alternately to form uniform and crack-free thick films. The microstructure and electrical properties of the PZT thick films were investigated. The results in this work show that the PZT thick films possess typical polycrystalline perovskite structures, good pyroelectric coefficient (8.0 × 10− 8C/cm2 K), high remnant polarization (30 μC/cm2), and low coercive field (50 kV/cm).