Effect of substrates on the morphology of BaxSr1-xTiO3 nanometer-scale films

The initial stages in the growth of BaxSr1 - xTiO3 films on various dielectric substrates were studied using the middle-energy ion scattering spectroscopy, and the results obtained were used to analyze microdefects in the film. The character of film growth was found to depend on the shape, size, and electrostatic state of crystallographic unit cells of the substrate surface. The growth was epitaxial on an SrTiO3 substrate. The film prepared on an LaAlO3 substrate consists of slightly disordered crystallites. Films on MgO substrates demonstrated island-type growth up to a thickness of 20 nm, with foreign phases observed to form; as the film thickness increased, the growth acquired an epitaxial pattern. The film grown on the alpha-Al2O3(1 (1) over bar 02) surface was polycrystalline and contained textured blocks. (C) 2003 MAIK "Nauka/ Interperiodica".