Proposal of new mixture target for PZT thin films by reactive sputtering

Abstract An r.f. reactive sputter deposition technique was adopted to deposit ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films with high rate from a ZrTi alloy target combined with PbO pellets. The deposition characteristics, including the effects of the PbO area ratio, were discussed. A new deposition mode called the `quasi-metallic mode' was observed. Perovskite PZT films were prepared at a growth temperature as low as 450°C. However, because the target structure is unstable, we proposed a mixture target which consisted of Zr, Ti and PbO. Fundamental experiments were researched using the powder target. The perovskite PZT film could also be obtained at 450°C with better electrical properties.