Microstructure and electrical properties of PbZr Ti O 0.48 0.52 3 ferroelectric films on different Pt bottom electrodes

PtrTi bottom electrodes were prepared using UHV electron beam evaporation and DC-sputtering, respectively. The changed morphologies of PtrTi bottom electrodes with heating treatment temperature will greatly affect morphology of PZT films. The dense columnar grain structure and textured growth behavior were observed in the PtrTi electrodes prepared by electron beam evaporation. PtrTi film prepared by electron beam evaporation is more continuous and stable than that by DC-sputtering at high temperature. The hillock formation in some parts of PtrTi films by electron beam evaporation with heating treatment only resulted in some columnar protrusion on PZT thin film surface, and a rosette-type microstructure was not observed regardless of the temperature of heat treatment. The microstructure of a DC-sputtered PtrTi film will greatly change with annealing temperature and lead to the formation of a rosette-type microstructure of PZT film. For the PtrTi film annealed at 8008C, large spherical hillocks and deep hollows formed and made the microstructure of PZT film look like blooming rosette. The PZT films on the electron-beam evaporated PtrTi bottom electrode have better microstructure, ferroelectric, and fatigue properties than that on the DC-sputtered PtrTi electrode. q2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.