Nano-tribological characteristics of PZT thin film investigated by atomic force microscopy

Abstract

In this work, the nano-scale tribological characteristics of PZT thin films (Pb(ZrxTi1-x)03: PZT) with various Zr/Ti ratios were investigated using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The PZT thin films deposited by the sol-gel method were characterized by using an AFM, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and a nano-indentation technique. From the experimental results, the friction coefficient of the PZT thin film was found to be about 0.1-0.2 under a 0.1-10 mu N normal force. It was determined that the wear rate of the PZT thin film was in the order of 10(-8) mm3/N(.)cycle. Also, it was observed that the crystalline structure of the PZT was amorphized due to mechanical stress. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.