SOLID SOURCE MOCVD FOR THE EPITAXIAL-GROWTH OF THIN OXIDE-FILMS

A novel solid source metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process has been used to grow highly textured thin films of CeO2 and MgO, and highly oriented thin films of Sr1-xBaxNb2O6 (SBN). Both (100)-oriented and (111)-oriented CeO2 films were reproducibly grown on (1102BAR)-oriented Al2O3 (r-plane sapphire) substrates. Higher substrate temperatures and higher growth rates were found to favor the (111) orientation. The epitaxial (100) CeO2 films, 150 angstrom thick, had very smooth surfaces, with an RMS surface roughness of 7 angstrom, as measured by atomic force microscopy. MgO films with (100) orientation were readily grown on both r-plane sapphire and (100) SrTiO3 substrates at temperatures below 600-degrees-C. SBN films, 1.6 mum thick, were also grown on r-plane sapphire substrates at 700-800-degrees-C using a CeO2 buffer layer and all tetramethylheptanedionate (Sr, Ba, and Nb) metalorganic sources.