Fabrication and properties of PLT/PLZT/PLT structures obtained by RF magnetron sputtering

Ferroelectric Pb_0.84La_0.16Ti_0.96O₃/Pb_0.96La_0.04(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)_0.99O₃/Pb_0.84La_0.16Ti_0.96O₃ (PLT/PLZT/PLT) structures were fabricated on platinum-coated silicon wafers by RF magnetron sputtering. A Pb_0.84La_0.16Ti_0.96O₃ layer was used as a seed layer to improve the crystallization and enhance the ferroelectric properties of the PLZT film. With the PLT seed layers, the films showed excellent ferroelectric properties in terms of large remnant polarization (2P_r) of 52.7 μC/cm², lower coercive field (2E_c) of 130 kV/cm for an applied field of 500 kV/cm. Moreover, the PLT/PLZT/PLT structures exhibited good fatigue endurance after 10¹⁰ switching cycles, which was attributed to the double-sided PLT layers. They improved the electrical fatigue by eliminating the pyrochlore phase, reduced the strong (111) orientation, and assimilated the oxygen vacancies from the PLZT layer.