Microstructure Evolution And Leakage Phenomena Of Csd Plzt Thin Films

(Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O-3 [PLZT] thin films were deposited by chemical solution deposition (CSD) on sputtered Pt/IrO2 electrodes on SiO2/Si wafers. A relationship between PLZT grain size and leakage was observed with films of 150 nm thick. Large grained films showed high leak age, whereas fine-grained films showed low leakage. Limited nucleation sites led to pyrochlore at grain boundaries, which may act as an electrical pathway. Thin CSD PLZT film with lower leakage was prepared by shortening the total pyrolysis time. From these results, pyrolysis time was an important parameter used to control film microstructure and leakage.