Growth and thickness effect of -oriented ternary 0.06Pb(Mn1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.94Pb(Zr0.48Ti0.52)O3 ferroelectric thin films on silicon substrate by RF sputtering

The development of advanced piezoelectric thin films with large piezoelectric response on silicon substrate is a crucial technology for piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems applications. In this work, high-quality -oriented 0.06Pb(Mn1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.94Pb(Zr0.48Ti0.52)O3 (PMN-PZT) thin films were grown on the Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate by sputtering. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and piezoresponse force microscopy were utilized to characterize the phase, morphologies, and domain structures. The growth parameters were optimized and thickness-dependent electrical properties were established. Well-crystalized micron-thick PMN-PZT films with high remnant polarization of 49 μC/cm2 and giant piezoelectric coefficient (d33) up to 484 pC/N (about twice of the polycrystalline PMN-PZT thin film and thrice of the Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 thin film) were obtained. The excellent electrical properties make it highly advantageous for applications in MEMS devices. •High-quality -oriented PMN-PZT thin films were grown on the Si substrate.•The PMN-PZT films own giant piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of 484 pC/N.•The study investigated the effects of annealing conditions and varying thickness on the performance of the thin films.