Powder Preparation in Aerosol Deposition Method for Lead Zirconate Titanate Thick Films

Abstract

The influence of a pre-process for a starting powder in the deposition of ferroelectric thick films using the aerosol deposition method (ADM) was investigated. When a dry-milling procedure was introduced to the preparation of the ferroelectric powder, the deposition rate of ADM increased significantly up to 30-fold and reached 73 µm/min for a 5 mm2 area. However, density and electrical properties of the thick film decreased. If heat treatment at 800°C for 4 h was additionally introduced to the pre-process of the starting powder, the deposition rate increased up to 7–10-fold as compared with that for a starting powder and the electrical properties were improved from Pr=20 µC/cm2 at Ec=50 kV/cm to 32 µC/cm2 at Ec=45 kV/cm.