Crack-free Pb(Zr, Ti)O-3 films up to 20 mum thick have been prepared on the Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate using a novel sol-gel route. In this route, surface-modified fine PZT crystalline particles are well dispersed in a sol-gel precursor solution to form uniform slurry. The slurry is then spin-coated onto a substrate, pre-heated and annealed at relatively low temperatures as the conventional sol-gel process. The surface modification of the added particles, microstructure and the crystallization process of the films have been investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and the X-ray diffraction (XRD). Finally, the ferroelectric and dielectric properties of the thick films have been reported. The novel route is promising to integrate ferroelectric thick films on the silicon substrate for potential applications in microelectromechanical systems (MEMSs). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.