Lead oxide thin films were deposited on Pt/SiO2/Si and Ir/IrO2/SiO2/Si substrates by liquid delivery metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at substrate temperatures ranging from 475 to 525 degrees C using a dome-type CVD chamber in order to understand the MOCVD behavior of ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 films. The precursor and oxidant were bis-tetramethylheptanedionato-Pb dissolved in ethylcyclohexane and O-2, respectively. The lead oxide films were nicely grown on the Pt electrode irrespective of the deposition temperature. However, the film growth on the Ir electrode was hampered by the in situ oxidation of the Ir film when the growth temperature was above 500 degrees C. The film grown at 525 degrees C contained metallic Pb components which may largely degrade the electrical properties of the film. A smaller oxygen flow rate reduced the oxidation of the Ir film and enhanced the lead oxide film growth with a smaller content of metallic Pb. An interesting observation was that the reactively sputtered IrOx electrodes are reduced during the lead oxide CVD process and produced similar film growth behaviors as that on Ir electrodes. (c) 2005 The Electrochemical Society.