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High Piezoelectric Longitudinal Coefficients in Sol–gel PZT Thin Film Multilayers
Author(s) -
Balma Davide,
Mazzalai Andrea,
Chidambaram Nachiappan,
Sandu Cosmin S.,
Neels Antonia,
Dommann Alex,
Hess Peter,
Binz Dieter,
Muralt Paul
Publication year - 2014
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/jace.12894
Subject(s) - materials science , lead zirconate titanate , composite material , thin film , piezoelectricity , electrode , sputtering , substrate (aquarium) , stack (abstract data type) , ceramic , layer (electronics) , silicon , ferroelectricity , optoelectronics , dielectric , nanotechnology , chemistry , oceanography , geology , computer science , programming language
A five‐layer stack of lead zirconate titanate ( PZT ) thin films with Pt electrodes was fabricated for potential applications in nanoactuator systems. The 1 μm thick PZT films were deposited by a sol–gel technique, the platinum electrodes by sputtering. The PZT films were crack‐free, in spite of the use of silicon as a substrate, suggesting an increased toughness of the metal–ceramic composite. For piezoelectric characterization, the intermediate electrodes were liberated by successive etching of the PZT and Pt layers, obtaining a functional three‐ layer stack. A total thickness change of 5.2 nm was achieved with 10 V, measured by double beam laser interferometry. The small signal response was obtained as 0.49 nm/V. Finite element simulations were made to account for the thickness change in the substrate due to the transverse piezoelectric effect. The average response corresponds to an average d 33,f of 120 pm/V. The multiple annealed buried layers show clearly a better performance with up to 175 pm/V. It is concluded that the electrode interfaces in the interior exhibit higher qualities, as supported by transmission electron microscopy, and that the multiple anneals were beneficial for PZT thin film quality.