Summary form only given. A very wide range of both vapor- and liquid-phase deposition techniques were applied to produce crystalline films of composition in a lead zirconate:lead titanate solid solution system. At compositions close to the morphotropic phase boundary, a regimen which shows excellent piezoelectric properties in the bulk ceramic films with high permittivity ( epsilon /sub 33/-1350 epsilon /sub 0/) at room temperature and large switchable electric polarization (P/sub r/ approximately 35 mu C/cm/sup 2/) were fabricated by several groups. Progress toward the use of ferroelectric films, in combination with silicon micromachining, for a wide range of piezoelectric microsensors, micro-actuators and micromotors is reviewed. In view of the very high electric strength alternative electrorestrictive electromechanical coupling appears attractive. >