Processing and characterization of ferroelectric thin films in the Pb/sub 5/Ge/sub 3/O/sub 11/-PbZr/sub 0.5/Ti/sub 0.5/O/sub 3/ system

This work investigates the crystallization of pure Pb/sub 5/Ge/sub 3/O/sub 11/ (PG) and composition in the Pb/sub 5/Ge/sub 3/O/sub 11/-PbZr/sub 0.5/Ti/sub 0.5/O/sub 3/ (PG-PZT) system. PG is of interest due to its low processing temperatures and possible application as pyroelectric sensors and nonvolatile ferroelectric memories. Compositions in the PG-PZT system crystallize to form multiple ferroelectric phases at relatively low temperatures, potentially offering a unique combination of ferroelectric properties and processing conditions. Ferroelectric thin films in the PG-PZT system were fabricated on (111) Pt-coated silicon substrates using sol gel processing techniques. Rapid thermal processing was utilized to investigate the time/temperature dependencies of crystallization, phase transformations and orientation of both Pb/sub 5/Ge/sub 3/O/sub 11/ and PbZr/sub 0.5/Ti/sub 0.5/O/sub 3/. Pb/sub 5/Ge/sub 3/O/sub 11/ films with a thickness of 2000 /spl Aring/ crystallized with a c-axis orientation of greater than 90% when heat treated at 700/spl deg/C for 30 seconds.