Preparation of lead zirconate titanate thin films with a combination of self-assembly and spin-coating techniques

A low-temperature synthetic method for preparing lead zirconate titanate (PZT) perovskite film on a Pt substrate is proposed. The method consists of the self-assembly of PZT particles on a substrate and successive spin coating with a precursor of PZT. The PZT particles that had sub-micron sizes and perovskite structures were prepared by annealing amorphous PZT particles formed from a complex alkoxide precursor. The PZT particles were deposited on a Pt substrate that was surface-modified with (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane to chemically fix the particles on the substrate. Another PZT precursor solution was used for the spin-coating on the PZT-deposited substrate, and then the spin-coated film was annealed at 350°C to remove organic residues left in the film. The spin-coated PZT film prepared at 350°C had a dielectric constant of 118 at a frequency of 1000 Hz.