Oxygen plasma effects on sol-gel-derived lead-zirconate-titanate thin films

We studied effects of oxygen plasma treatment on the ferroelectric Pb(Zrx,Ti1−x)O3 (PZT) films prepared by a sol-gel method. Electrical characteristics of the films were found to be improved considerably by exposure to the O2 plasma, with enhanced remanent polarization and decreased leakage current densities. Chemical bonding analysis by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in the Pb 4f region indicated that the intensity from the perovskite PZT phase increased considerably after the O2 plasma treatment, giving rise to the improved performances of the PZT films.