Studying the composition and phase state of thin PZT films obtained by high-frequency magnetron sputtering under variation of working gas pressure

Variation of the working gas pressure (from 8 to 2 Pa) during RF magnetron sputtering deposition of thin perovskite lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films revealed strong changes in their lead content, which decreased below the stoichiometric level and led to the formation of a two-phase (perovskite–pyrochlore) structure upon subsequent high-temperature annealing. Measurements of the composition of perovskite islands in the two-phase films showed that the lead content in these islands was equal to or greater than stoichiometric. These results lead to the conclusion that the obtained PZT films are free of lead vacancies.