Preparation of 9/65/35 PLZT thin films deposited by a dip-coating process

Crack-free polycrystalline PLZT (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films with the perovskite structure were prepared by dip-coating using the Pechinis process. Lead acetate, hydrated lanthanum carbonate, zirconium n-propoxide and titanium isopropoxide were used as raw materials. The viscosity of the solution was adjusted in the range of 20 to 56 cP and the films were deposited by a dip-coating process on silicon (100) as substrate. Solutions with ionic concentration of 0.1 and 0.2 M were used. Thin film deposition was accomplished by dipping the substrates in the solution with control of withdrawal speed from 5 to 20 mm/min. The thin films were thermally treated in two steps: at 300°C and 650°C. The influence of withdrawal speed, viscosity, heating rate and ionic concentration on the morphology of PLZT thin film was discussed.