Oxygen-Plasma Treatment of Sol-Gel Derived Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films

Abstract

Oxygen-plasma treatment has been introduced for improving electrical characteristics and low-temperature processing of sol-gel derived Pb(Zr x , Ti l m x )O 3 (PZT) thin films. The ferroelectric PZT films with room temperature oxygen-plasma treatment showed enhanced polarization and decreased leakage current densities, as well as much reduced electrical fatigues. Besides, oxygen-plasma treatment at 200°C, following a low-temperature annealing in oxygen at 450°C, gave rise to ferroelectric hysteresis loops, which was explained by the perovskite phase formation starting from the surface layers.