Investigation of Co-doped PZT films deposited by rf-magnetron sputtering

The focus of the present paper is to describe the preparation procedure and to investigate the microstructural characteristics and the electrical properties of Co-doped PZT films deposited by rf-sputtering by using a mixture target system onto Au-electroded Al2O3 ceramic substrates. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the Co-doped PZT thin films as a function of the annealing temperature confirmed the formation of pure perovskite phase started with temperatures of 600 degrees C, but a perfect crystallization was achieved at a temperature of similar to 700 degrees C. The microstructures strongly depend on the thermal treatment temperature and indicated a discontinuous surface without large pores and with a bimodal grain size distribution. The XPS analysis demonstrated that the dopant element is present mainly in its Co2+ state. The macroscopic P(E) hysteresis loops were recorded in different locations of the films surface and demonstrated ferroelectric behaviour with a resistive leakage contribution.