Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Lead zirconate titanate, Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 (PZT), coatings were prepared using a metallorganic decomposition (MOD) route with lead and titanium acetates and zirconium acetylacetonate in acetic acid and water. Films with thickness of 0.66 μm were prepared on (100) Si with a layered bottom electrode (Pt/Ti/TiO2/SiO2). Dielectric constant and loss were 1100 and 0.04 (1 kHz), respectively, and remnant polarization and coercive field were 30 μC/cm2 and 40 kV/cm. Piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of the PZT film, measured with a singlebeam laser interferometer, was 41 pm/V. Standard micromachining techniques were used to etch the PZT to form discrete PZT posts for preparation of the ceramic phase for composite coatings with a 1–3 connectivity. SEM was used to determine the dense and etched film microstructure. Preliminary ion milling results, used to etch the PZT, are also presented.