Structural and electrical properties of sol–gel deposited Pb(Zr0.92Ti0.08)O3 thin films doped with Nb

Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films with Zr/Ti ratio of 92/8 and doped with up to 4 at.% Nb were deposited by sol–gel on Pt coated Si substrates. The scope was to investigate the influence of Nb additive on the structural, optical and electrical properties of Zr-rich PZT phase. It was found that a residual pyrochlore phase stabilizes with increasing the Nb content. The remnant polarization, the coercive field, and the dielectric losses increase with increasing Nb content. The presence of the pyroelectric effect was also evidenced on as-deposited layers. The films have potential for light detection in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum (pyroelectric effect).