Integration of Niobium-Doped Lead Zirconate Titanate on Bare Silicon Wafer by Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD)

It was recently found in this laboratory that neat lead zirconate titanate (PZT)/silicon stacks can be produced by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on bare silicon wafers followed by sintering at 850-950°C. EPD is an easily implemented deposition technique that requires only basic laboratory gear and a sufficiently stable colloidal suspension to produce ceramic and electroceramic films with thickness in the 100 nm-10 mm range3. It has been found that the EPD of niobium-doped lead zirconate titanate (PZTN), performed in ethanol-based suspensions of PZT on bare silicon wafers on which Al/Si alloyed ohmic contacts were made, produced smooth green films that strongly pinned to the silicon substrate after sintering. Thick and well-adhered sintered PZT films on silicon having thickness about 50 µm were thus obtained. Such structures could be the core of novel on-chip sensors/actuators. The results of the production of thick PZT films by EPD and sintering and some characterizations of the same are reported.