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Photoactivation of Sol–Gel Precursors for the Low‐Temperature Preparation of PbTiO 3 Ferroelectric Thin Films
Author(s) -
MartínArbella Nekane,
Bretos Íñigo,
Jiménez Ricardo,
Calzada Maria L.,
Sirera Rafael
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2010.04095.x
Subject(s) - ferroelectricity , materials science , thin film , annealing (glass) , sol gel , irradiation , coercivity , perovskite (structure) , photoinitiator , analytical chemistry (journal) , dielectric , chemistry , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , composite material , crystallography , organic chemistry , polymer , physics , monomer , condensed matter physics , nuclear physics
PbTiO 3 thin films have been prepared by ultraviolet (UV)‐assisted rapid thermal processing (RTP) (photochemical solution deposition) following a sol–gel method. To prepare photo‐sensitive sols, two types of photo‐initiators compounds, N ‐methyldiethanolamine and propylenaldehyde, have been incorporated into the system. The effect of the type and amount of photo‐initiator on the UV light absorption of the respective precursor solutions was studied. At 400°C, the PbTiO 3 perovskite phase was observed by X‐ray diffraction in the films. These films show an improved ferroelectric response when they are UV‐irradiated during the annealing as compared with those nonirradiated. Moreover, properties are significantly better in PbTiO 3 thin films prepared by using N ‐methyldiethanolamine as a photoinitiator. Thus, films prepared from sols containing N ‐methyldiethanolamine, UV‐irradiated and crystallized by RTP at 400°C, show well‐defined ferroelectric hysteresis loops with values of remnant polarization and coercive field of P r ∼11.9 μC/cm 2 and E c ∼235 kV/cm, respectively.