A micrometer scale and low temperature PZT thick film MEMS process utilizing an aerosol deposition method

An aerosol deposition method and its lift-off process have been integrated for fabricating thick lead–zirconate–titanate (PZT) films for MEMS applications. The thickness of the deposited PZT films can be controlled over a wide range from 2 μm to more than 18 μm. In an area of 60 mm × 70 mm, an optimum deposition rate of 5 μm/h has been observed. For 13 μm thick PZT films, the minimum linewidth of 30 μm has been achieved. The fabricated thick PZT films exhibit a strong perovskite phase, after aerosol deposition at room temperature. To verify the functionality of deposited PZT films, a 7 μm × 700 μm × 900 μm cantilever-beam resonator has been fabricated. The resonance frequencies of the PZT cantilever resonator were measured and found to be similar to results of the finite element simulation. Finally, a functional 5 μm × 650 μm × 1200 μm PZT cantilever resonator was realized by annealing the PZT film at 500 °C.