Fabrication of microcantilever arrays using sol-gel PZT thin film for nanopositioning

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric thin films have been prepared by the sol-gel method to fabricate microcantilever arrays for nano-actuation with potential applications in hard disk drives. Film annealing temperature and time is critical to the preparation of the sol-gel thin film. The fabrication process of microcantilever arrays in planar structure is presented. Key issues for the fabrication of the cantilever are: the compatible etching process of PZT thin film, and the compensation of thin film stress in all layers to obtain a flat multiple layer structure.