Direct-Write Deposition of PZT Thick Films Derived from Modified Sol-Gel Process

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thick films (6-70 μm) have been deposited on platinum coated alumina and silicon substrates using Micropen™ direct-write technique. Feedstock materials for Micropen deposition have been prepared by a modified sol-gel process in which different amounts of commercial PZT powder (15, 20, 25, 30 vol%) were dispersed in a stable PZT sol to achieve low temperature heat treatment conditions (700°C). The effects of the substrate, intermediate sol layer, film thickness, PZT content, and Micropen parameters on the resulting multi-layer PZT films have been investigated. The films using 15 vol% paste on Pt/Si substrate showed dielectric constant in the range 540-870, dielectric loss between 4.1 and 4.5 % at 1 kHz, remanent polarization (P
_r
) of 7-12 μC/cm
²
, and coercive field (E
_e
) of 24-30 kV/cm.