Piezoelectric properties of c-axis oriented Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films

Abstract

Piezoelectric properties of the c-axis oriented Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films were investigated. The PZT films with a composition near the morphotropic phase boundary were epitaxially grown on (100)Pt-coated MgO substrates by rf-magnetron sputtering. The PZT films exhibited excellent ferroelectricity with a remanent polarization more than 50 μC/cm2. In order to examine intrinsic piezoelectric properties, cantilever structures were microfabricated with the PZT films. The piezoelectric coefficient d31 of PZT films, which were not subjected to poling treatments, was measured directly from the transverse expansion of the cantilever beams. The measurements revealed that the PZT films were naturally polarized and had a relatively large piezoelectric coefficient d31 of 100×10−12 m/V without poling.