Polar properties of spherulitic lead zirconate titanate thin films obtained by high temperature annealing from the amorphous phase

The paper studies the influence of the microstructure (block size and new intrablock boundaries) of spherulitic thin PZT films on the magnitude of the internal field and self-polarization. Films, the composition of which corresponded to the region of the morphotropic phase boundary, were formed by a two-stage method of radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. It is shown that with an increase in the block size, the magnitude of radial-lateral tensile mechanical stresses changes, leading to a redistribution of the negative space charge (electrons) in the volume of the thin film. A possible contribution to the formation of self-polarization of the space charge of oxygen vacancies caused by their directional diffusion is considered.