Ferroelectric properties and fatigue behavior of {100} textured 1-µm thick PZT films by chemical solution deposition

Pb(Zr<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</inf>Ti<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1−x</inf>)O<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</inf> (PZT) is one of the main material choices for microactuators where large strokes and low driving voltage are required. In addition, the actuator’s performance under constant electrical loading reflects its quality and reliability. Thus, in this work, we studied the ferroelectric performance and fatigue of {100}-textured 1 µm-thick PZT (x = 0.52) film deposited by chemical solution deposition (CSD). Ferroelectric fatigue tests were performed under different electric fields and frequencies to observe the actuation performance of such films. Hysteresis loop constriction and internal bias were observed on the pristine sample. Then, a non-constricted polarization hysteresis loop was obtained after electric cycling. This behavior suggests that the constriction was an after-effect due to defects present in the system.