Analysis of grain-boundary effects on the electrical properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films

The effects of grain boundaries on the characteristics of Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 (PZT) thin films were investigated by locating the top electrode within grain, on the line boundary, or on the grain-boundary intersection in a controlled manner. It turned out that, when there was no grain boundary in the area measured, excellent ferroelectric and electrical performance was obtained. On the other hand, serious degradation was observed in terms of polarization, leakage current, breakdown field, and fatigue characteristics when grain boundaries were included in the area studied. It was found that degradation of PZT thin films was closely correlated with the length of grain boundary in the area measured. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.