Strain relaxation in epitaxial SrRuO3 thin films on LaAlO3 substrates

Abstract

Strain relaxation behavior of epitaxial SrRuO3 thin films on (001) LaAlO3 substrates was investigated using high resolution X-ray diffraction. Lattice distortion and dislocation densities were systematically studied with samples under different growth conditions. Reciprocal space maps reveal different strain relaxation behavior in SrRuO3 thin films grown at different temperatures. Two kinds of strain relaxation mechanisms were proposed to understand the growth dynamics, including the evolution of threading dislocations and the tilt of crystalline planes.