Piezoelectric micropatterns fabricated by femtosecond laser processing for <i>d</i> 33-mode piezoelectric MEMS

Abstract

Fabrication of micropatterns on piezoelectric thin films has been widely investigated as an effective approach to release lateral clamping and improve d33-mode piezoelectric performance. Among various micromachining techniques, femtosecond laser processing has emerged as a promising candidate due to its single-step, maskless, non-destructive, and high-throughput characteristics. However, reports on using this method for patterning piezoelectric materials remain insufficiently explored, particularly for the application of d33-mode devices. In this study, line-shaped micropatterns were successfully fabricated in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films using femtosecond laser processing. Post-annealing effectively restored crystallinity degraded during laser processing, enabling the micropatterns to maintain stable dielectric insulation and ferroelectric switching. The fabricated micropatterns exhibit d33 values comparable to bulk PZT, validating the effectiveness of stress release from substrate clamping. These results demonstrate that femtosecond laser processing offers a feasible route for the high-throughput fabrication of high-performance d33-mode piezoelectric MEMS devices.