Deposition of PbTiO3 film by the spray-ICP technique

PbTiO₃ thin films were prepared on various substrates by spraying an ultrasonically atomized aqueous solution of Pb(NO₃)₂ + TiO (NO₃)₂ into an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) under atmospheric pressure. Single-phase PbTiO₃ with perovskite structure was obtained at 500–650 °C. The perovskite obtained below 600 °C showed less tetragonality due to the effect of grain size. The PbTiO₃ films crystallized with preferred (1 1 1) and (0 0 1) orientations on sapphire (0 0 1) and MgO (1 0 0), respectively. Based on the analysis of ICP emission spectra, it is suggested that a reoxidation of titanium preceded that of lead in the plasma, and also that OH in the plasma played an important role in the deposition of PbTiO₃.