Epitaxial PZT films for MEMS printing applications

Films of piezoelectric and ferroelectric oxides have been widely investigated for various applications, including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for printing. Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 is of particular interest due to its excellent piezoelectric properties. Control of the density, crystalline orientation, and compositional uniformity is essential to obtain these properties. In this article, we review recent progress on the fabrication of epitaxial Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 films, in which the aforementioned control can be achieved. We discuss the different approaches used for the deposition of the epitaxial piezoelectric layer as well as the achieved degrees of the epitaxy. Furthermore, the integration of these piezoelectric layers in MEMS and the corresponding performance are discussed.