Characterisation of ferroelectric thin films by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy

In this work an example of the application of glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAD), scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy techniques, on the study of the phase distribution and microstructure of PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 films deposited by two different methods, sol-gel and laser ablation, on different substrates, is reported. The investigations performed on the samples allowed us to obtain information on the phase distribution inside the films, on the diffusion processes occurred during the crystallisation treatments, on the presence of ferroelectric domains and on the structure of the columnar grains. The results showed that the electrical behaviour could be correlated to the microstructure of the films suggesting the best deposition conditions.