PLZT based MEMS device

Pb(Zr,Ti)O/sub 3/, PZT thin films and their modified compositions have attracted great attention in recent years for their use in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). In this paper, lanthanum modified PZT thin films have been deposited on platinised silicon. The parameters, saturation polarization (P/sub S/), remanent polarization (P/sub R/) and coercive field (E/sub C/) of the polarization-electric field hysteresis loop are presented for 0.5 /spl mu/m thick PLZT thin film of composition (8/60/40). The structural and dielectric properties of the film are also presented. To show the possible integration of the piezoelectric films in MEMS, a simple device has been fabricated using silicon micromachining technology. The resonance frequency of this device was measured as 8.45 MHz and the device was tested for a vibration sensor.