Sol-Gel Based Soft Lithography and Piezoresponse Force Microscopy of Patterned Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 Microstructures

Sol-gel based soft lithography technique has been developed to pattern a variety of ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) microstructures, with feature size approaching 180 nm and good pattern transfer between the master mold and patterned films. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirm the perovskite structure of the patterned PZT. Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and switching spectroscopy piezoresponse force microscopy (SSPFM) confirm their piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity. Piezoresponse as high as 2.75 nm has been observed, comparable to typical PZT films. The patterned PZT microstructures are promising for a wide range of device applications.