Low-temperature crystallization of sol-gel derived PbZr _0.52Ti _0.48O ₃ thin films with a vanadium additive

Low-temperature-crystallized PbZr _0.52Ti _0.48O ₃ (PZT) thin films, prepared using a sol-gel method, with a vanadium additive are demonstrated. The low crystallization and melting temperatures of vanadium oxide helped to reduce the crystallization temperature, and improved the grain growth in PZT thin films. Perovskite PZT thin films were obtained at a low annealing temperature of 450°C, and remarkable electrical properties such as a remnant polarization of 4.3 μCcm ², a coercive field of 49.3 kVcm, a dielectric constant of 585 at 1 MHz, a dielectric loss of 0.022 at 1 MHz, and a tunability of 64.5 were observed. The present results suggest that these low-temperature-crystallized PZT thin films could be used for integrated ferroelectric device applications.