Internal stress effects on the piezoelectric properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 superlattice thin films grown on Si substrates

Artificial superlattice thin films of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) were epitaxially grown on silicon substrates, and the influence of superlattice strain on their piezoelectric properties was investigated. The c-axis oriented PZT superlattice thin film consists of two different PZT layers, Pb(Zr0.65Ti0.35)O3 (PZT-65) and Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (PZT-X: x = X/100 = 0.3–0.9), with a 4 nm period. Satellite peaks were clearly observed in x-ray diffraction patterns, and cross-sectional composition measurements confirmed the superlattice structure with good interfaces, showing an alternate change in Zr and Ti compositions. Ferroelectric properties varied significantly depending on the PZT-X composition, and in particular, the PZT-65/PZT-30 superlattice thin film showed nearly the same ferroelectricity as the tetragonal phase under a large compressive strain of PZT-65 from the PZT-30 layer. For the PZT-65/PZT-X (X = 30–58) superlattice thin films, the PZT-65 layers received a compressive strain, and a relatively large piezoelectric coefficient, which did not depend on the PZT-X composition, was obtained. However, a decrease in piezoelectricity was observed in PZT-65/PZT-X (X = 70 and 90), where the PZT-65 layers experienced tensile strain. This result indicates that the piezoelectric properties of PZT superlattice thin films can be controlled by the interlayer strain.