Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 February 2011
High quality PLZT thin films have been deposited using ion beam sputtering. The deposited material has perovskite crystal structure tetragonal in phase with the c-axis predominantly normal to the surface. Material deposited at temperatures below 450°C has pyrochlore structure while that deposited above 650°C displays polycrystalline characteristics. The deposition rate was approximately 0.2–0.5 Å/sec yielding film thicknesses of ∼4500 Å. The surface morphology of the deposited films is of high quality with a RMS roughness 60% that of magnetron sputtered films.