Pb0.92La0.08Zr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PLZT) films were deposited on platinized silicon substrates (Pt/Si) using a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) modified sol-gel method. Pyrolysis of the green films was conducted via two methods: rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and a step-wise preheat treatment (SPT). Microstructure analysis and dielectric property characterization were performed on samples treated by these two methods. Results showed that the SPT-pyrolyzed films exhibited much better dielectric properties when compared with the RTA-pyrolyzed films. The differences in dielectric properties were correlated to microstructural features caused by the different pyrolysis conditions. High-quality PLZT films with high dielectric constant (approximate to 860 at zero bias) and high breakdown strength (approximate to 2.1 MV/cm) were fabricated under controlled pyrolysis conditions. This work demonstrated the potential application of this material for power electronics in electric drive vehicles. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.