The temperature dependence of the transient current in ferroelectricPb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3(PZT) thin film capacitors is studied by examining the current density versus time(J-t)characteristics in the temperature range from room temperature to 140 °C. The transient current consists of two components, the conduction current and the polarization current. The conduction current is related to traps inside the films. The trapped holes cause an increase of the local electric field and hence the conduction current. The polarization current decreases and saturates as time increases. The dependence of the transient current on temperature therefore relies on the relative magnitudes of the two components. The transient current of PZT at room temperature is found to be dominated by trap-related conduction current at field higher than 83 kV/cm and by polarization current at field lower than 83 kV/cm. The increase of temperature enhances the emission rate of captured holes and the conduction current component decreases. The discharging current in the PZT capacitor is found to follow the tunneling front model in the temperature range below 100 °C, whereas a different model is required above 100 °C. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.