Epitaxial growth of (Sr,Ba)Nb2O6 thin films by pulsed laser deposition

Thin films of (Sr, Ba)Nb2O6 (SBN) were prepared on SrTiO3 (100) substrates by a pulsed laser deposition and their crystallographic properties were investigated. Epitaxially grown films with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate were obtained at substrate temperatures higher than 650 degrees C in an oxygen atmosphere (containing 8% O-3) of 3 mTorr. An X-ray phi scan analysis indicates that the films have antiphase domains in the c-plane and the relationship is SBN[100]//SrTiO3[310]. The lattice mismatch between the film and the substrate is less than 1%, which contributes to the desirable crystalline quality of SBN films. A smooth surface of roughness Rms = 0.8 nm was obtained by controlling the morphology of the initial growth layer in a two-step deposition.