Composition and phase structure in laser deposited and post-annealed Pb Nd Zr Ti /O thin films

Pulsed XeCl excimer laser with a wavelength of 308 nm was used to ablate a Nd-modified lead–zirconate–titanate PNZT., Pb1y3 yr2Ndy ZrxTi1yx.O3, ceramic target with ys0.02 and xs0.55 Pb0.97Nd0.02 Zr0.55Ti0.45.O3.with various laser-beam fluences between 0.2 and 3.0 Jrcm2. The target composition was near the morphotropic phase boundary MPB. with a relative atomic Zr-content of B-site cations Zrr ZrqTi.. xf0.53 between the ferroelectric tetragonal and high-temperature rhombohedral phases of PZTs at room temperature. The films were deposited on single-crystal sapphire Al2O3 1102..and MgO 100.substrates without substrate heating. The phase structure and composition of both as-grown and post-annealed films were studied with X-ray diffraction measurements together with scanning electron microscopy SEM.and energy dispersive spectroscopy of X-rays EDS.. The as-grown PNZT thin films after deposition were amorphous and crystallized during post-annealing in different phase structures depending on the ablation process conditions. The relative atomic zirconium content, Zrr ZrqTi., of the films depends on the laser-beam fluence used in the ablation, but is insensitive to post-annealing conditions. q2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved