Crystalline properties of strontium barium niobate thin films produced by pulsed-laser deposition

Abstract

Abstract Highly oriented strontium barium niobate (SBN) thin films have been grown on MgO{100} substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. The films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. XRD θ–2θ scans indicate single-phase crystalline SBN layers with the {100} orientation perpendicular to the plane of the substrate. Because of the difference between the thermal expansion coefficients of the SBN thin film and the MgO{100} substrate, it is necessary to adopt a slow cooling rate after deposition to retain the highly oriented SBN thin film on the substrate. The presence of non-uniform residual strain in SBN thin films has been analysed from the broadening of the (00l) SBN film diffraction lines. The influence of oxygen partial pressure on the crystalline properties of SBN thin films has also been investigated.