Piezoelectric response and electrical properties of Pb(Zr_1-xTi_x)O₃ thin films: The role of imprint and composition

The compositional dependence of the piezoelectric properties of self-polarized PbZr_1-xTi_xO₃ (PZT) thin films deposited on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates (x = 0.47, 0.49 and 0.50) was investigated by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and electrical measurements. The latter evidenced an imprint effect in the studied PZT films, which is pronounced for films with the composition of x = 0.50 and tends to disappear for x = 0.47. These findings were confirmed by in situ X-ray diffraction along the crystalline [100] and [110] directions of the films with different compositions revealing asymmetric butterfly loops of the piezoelectric strain as a function of the electric field; the asymmetry is more pronounced for the PZT film with a composition of x = 0.50, thus indicating a higher built-in electric field. The enhancement of the dielectric permittivity and the effective piezoelectric coefficient at compositions around the morphotropic phase boundary were interpreted in terms of the polarization rotation mechanism and the monoclinic phase in the studied PZT thin films.