Investigation of the structural properties of PbTiO3 thin films

PbTiO
3
(PT) thin films were prepared by chemical route to study the effects of heat treatment on the phase transformations. Different pyrolysis temperatures between 250°C and 450°C have been studied to obtain films free of undesirable phases. The pyrolysis temperature directly affects the residual stresses and suppression of pyrochlore phases observed. The prediction of the preparation conditions is not straightforward. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering results reflect a tetragonal structure obtained for the films. The results of X-ray diffraction for films produced above the pyrolysis temperature of 400°C showed a dominant orientation in the plane (111), which coexists with a small tendency along the plane (100). Raman spectroscopy with polarized light was used to evaluate the orientation effects of the ferroelectric domains present in the sample. The phase transformations in the films are discussed in terms of experimental calculations of residual stress.