Growth of stoichiometric and textured LiNbO3 films on Si by pulsed laser deposition

Laser ablation of single-crystal LiNbO3 in a gas environment is used to grow films on (100) Si substrates heated to 650 degreesC. The film composition and crystallinity are studied as a function of the nature (reactive, O-2, or inert, Ar) and pressure of the gas environment applied during deposition and cooling-down processes, the laser energy density and the target-substrate distance. Experimental results show that a gas pressure close to 1 mbar is required to produce stoichiometric films in either O-2 or Ar. The modification of the laser energy density and the target-substrate distance allows us to improve the crystallinity of the films that become textured along the (006) direction. The influence of the experimental parameters on the film properties is discussed in the frame of the formation of a blast wave, that leads to the focusing of the expanding Li species and thus, to the increase of the Li content in the films.