Effect of sol-gel precursors on the grain structure of PZT thin films

Three sol-gel solutions, namely, acetate-, 2-methoxyethoxide-, and 2-ethylhexanoate-based precursor solutions, were synthesized and utilized for the fabrication of ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates. The effect of these sol-gel precursors on the surface morphology, crystallographic phase, and ferroelectric properties of the PZT thin films is analyzed in this work. The PZT thin films prepared from the acetate-based precursor solution demonstrated homogeneous and dense grains, while those from the 2-methoxyethoxide and 2-ethylhexanoate systems exhibited large rosette structures on their surface. The correlation between the decomposition mechanism of the precursor and the formation of rosette structure in the sol-gel derived PZT films is discussed.