Article abstract
Nature Materials 4, 233 - 237 (2005)
doi:10.1038/nmat1334
Subject Categories: Electronic materials | Magnetic materials | Surface and thin films
Lead zirconate titanate thin films directly on copper electrodes for ferroelectric, dielectric and piezoelectric applications
Angus I Kingon1 and Sudarsan Srinivasan1
Abstract
Replacement of noble metal electrodes by base metals significantly lowers the cost of ferroelectric, piezoelectric and dielectric devices. Here, we demonstrate that it is possible to process lead zirconate (Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3, or PZT) thin films directly on base metal copper foils. We explore the impact of the oxygen partial pressure during processing, and demonstrate that high-quality films and interfaces can be achieved through control of the oxygen partial pressure within a narrow window predicted by thermodynamic stability considerations. This demonstration has broad implications, opening up the possibility of the use of low-cost, high-conductivity copper electrodes for a range of Pb-based perovskite materials, including PZT films in embedded printed circuit board applications for capacitors, varactors and sensors; multilayer PZT piezoelectric stacks; and multilayer dielectric and electrostrictive devices based on lead magnesium niobate–lead titanate. We also point out that the capacitors do not fatigue on repeated switching, unlike those with Pt noble metal electrodes. Instead, they appear to be fatigue-resistant, like capacitors with oxide electrodes. This may have implications for ferroelectric non-volatile memories.
- Materials Research Center, North Carolina State University, Campus Mail Box 7919, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7919, USA
Correspondence to: Angus I Kingon1 e-mail: angus_kingon@ncsu.edu
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