Abstract
Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films are promising for acoustic micro-devices applications because of their extremely high electromechanical coupling coefficients and excellent piezoelectric response. Thicker PZT films are crucial for these acoustic applications. A hybrid sol-gel technology has been developed as a new approach to realize simple and cost-effective fabrication of high quality PZT thick films. In this paper, PZT53/47 thick films with a thickness of 5-50 mum are successfully deposited on Pt-coated silicon wafer by using the hybrid sol-gel technology. The obtained PZT thick films are dense, crack-free, and have a nano-sized microstructure. The processing parameters of this technology have been evaluated. The microstructure of the film has been observed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy and the crystallization process has been monitored by the X-ray diffraction. The thick films thus made are good candidates for fabrication of piezoelectric diaphragm which will be an essential element of microspeaker and microphone arrays.