Interfacial mechanisms controlling phase formation in sol-gel derived lead zirconate titanate thin films

Abstract

An RBS study has been carried out to study the relative extent of Pb diffusion in the substrate from PZT films. It is found that extensive diffusion of Pb occurs into the quartz substrate making the film severely deficient in Pb. No such diffusion occurs in the case of PZT films on sapphire and the concentration of Pb is near stoichiometric, except for a small loss due to volatilization. Excessive Pb deficiency, rather than any epitaxial effect, has earlier been proposed by us to be the crucial factor responsible for the existence of the pyrochlore phase in PZT thin films on substrates such as Si, glass, quartz etc. The present results confirm this. The effects of other process variables such as thickness and chemical composition (Zr/Ti ratio) of the film can also be understood in terms of the same phenomenon.