Ferroelectric properties of Ag doped PbZr_0.53Ti_0.47O₃ thin film deposited by sol–gel process

To suppress the generation of oxygen vacancy during the PbZr_0.53Ti_0.47O₃ (PZT) film synthesis process, herein, the 0–3 type Ag/PZT film is chosen as a prototype to systematically investigate the mechanisms of oxygen vacancy decrease and the relationship of ferroelectric properties. The uniform and dense films were successfully fabricated on fluorine tin oxide glasses (FTO) by facile sol–gel processes. It is confirmed the existence of silver nanoparticles in the film, indicating the composite ferroelectric films are of 0–3 type. When Ag doping mole concentration is 0.010 in the sol, a large remnant polarization (P_r) of ~ 50.7 µΧ/cm² is got, which is 37.9 µΧ/cm² for pure PZT. UV–vis spectrum confirms the generation of Ag₂O in the process of mixing the sol. Furthermore, the oxygen vacancies caused by natural evaporation of lead specie are effectively reduced because of the decomposition of Ag₂O, confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This work points out the generated Ag₂O as the intermediate product is the key to achieve high remnant polarization in Ag/PZT based film and make it as a promising candidate for memory applications.