A modification of the methoxyethanol-based sol-gel route used for depositing high-quality PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) films at low temperature is reported. The modification consists of multiple distillations of Pb precursor after dissolving in 2-methoxyethanol and increasing the pyrolisis temperature after individual layer deposition. In addition, a large amount of PbO excess (20%) is used to maintain the stoichiometry of PZT films. As a result, the films processed at 500 degreesC possess a dielectric permittivity of similar to 1900, a remanent polarization of similar to 30 muC/cm(2) and a coercive field of similar to 60 kV/cm. The crystallization mechanism is discussed along with the possible applications of such films in microelectromechanical systems. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.