Ferroelectric thin films are now being used in conjunction with semiconductor CMOS technology to produce non-volatile IC memory devices. Three film compositions across the lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) phase diagram were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The films are produced using organo-metallic sol-gels and sintered using standard semiconductor processing techniques. The grain structure of these thin films differ greatly from bulk ceramic crystals and thin films prepared using other deposition techniques. For two compositions, Pb1.1 (Zr0.75Ti0. 25)O3 and Pb1.1 (Zr0.50Ti0.50)O3, the perovskite structure was found in large rosettes surrounded by the polycrystalline pyrochlore phase. In the Pb1.1(Zr0.25Ti0.75)O3 sample, perovskite grains were found with no evidence of the pyrochlore phase. Ferroelectric domains were imaged in all three samples.

Lead zirconate titanate ferroelectric thin films have been fabricated and fully integrated with standard CMOS semiconductor technology to produce non-volatile IC memory devices, now being tested in the marketplace. Starting with an organo-metallic sol-gel and using standard IC spin-on glass and annealing technologies, perovskite type ferroelectric thin films are formed. A variety of techniques have been under study for characterizing the crystalline microstructumre of the ferroelectric layer. Presented here are observations made with optical and scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis of the effects of ferroelectric composition and sinter temperatures on crystal structure.