Electro-Optic Properties of Lanthanum-Modified Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films Epitaxially Grown by the Advanced Sol–Gel Method

Epitaxially grown lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) thin films were deposited on r-cut sapphire substrates using an advanced sol–gel method. The methanol addition into sol–gel solutions brought high quality epitaxial growth of PLZT thin films. This film showed high electro-optic (EO) coefficients that were almost comparable to those of bulk PLZTs. We believe this PLZT deposition technique will open the door for the future data communication systems with integrated EO devices.