Pulsed laser deposition of epitaxial ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 films on silicon substrates

We report on the epitaxial growth and electrical properties of Pb0.52Zr0.48TiO3 (PZT) thin films deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) on SrTiO3 (STO)-buffered Si(001). Previously to PZT growth, 40 nm-thick (La,Sr)MnO3 (LSMO) layer was deposited to serve as electrical bottom electrode. The 200 nm-thick PZT film epitaxy was optimized by PLD on STO-buffered Si(001). The high contrast of stable artificially poled ferroelectric surfaces evidences the good ferroelectric properties of the PZT thin film. The structural as well as the physical properties of the PZT/LSMO/STO/Si(001) structure prove that very good quality layers have been obtained for films grown on silicon substrate. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.