GROWTH OF EPITAXIAL STRONTIUM BARIUM NIOBATE THIN-FILMS BY PULSED-LASER DEPOSITION

We report the growth of epitaxial Sr(x)Ba1-xNb2O6 (SBN) thin films by pulsed laser deposition. The films were grown on (100) MgO substrates with thicknesses in the range 200-400 nm. Rutherford backscattering analysis showed that the films have stoichiometric composition identical to the target material. X-ray diffraction 2theta scans indicate single crystalline layers with the (001) orientation perpendicular to the substrate plane. Phi scans on the (221) plane, however, reveal that the films have two in-plane orientations. The unit cell of SBN is rotated in the plane of the film by +/- 18.4-degrees with respect to the MgO substrate unit cell. This rotation is explained using a model which takes into account both the lattice match and the electrostatic energy within the heteroepitaxial interface. (C) 1994 American Institute of Physics.