GROWTH OF CACUO2 AND SRXCA1-XCUO2 EPITAXIAL-FILMS ON NDGAO3 SUBSTRATES BY PULSED-LASER DEPOSITION

High quality epitaxial films of the 'infinite layer' (IL) compound Sr( x)Ca1-xCuO(2) (X=0-1) have been grown by pulsed laser deposition on Nd GaO3 (110) substrates, thus including the last member of this series C aCuO2, for the first time, to our knowledge. The quality of films vari ed with the composition: higher quality films were obtained for x=0 an d 0.1. The experimental results have been explained by taking into acc ount the lattice match between film and substrate: a better match resu lts in a better film quality. A very good match is obtained on NdGaO3 substrates for IL films with small or zero Sr content. Attempts to gro w IL films were also carried out on SrTiO3, and LaAlO3, substrates. On SrTiO3 substrates it was not possible to grow IL films in the absence of Sr, while on LaAlO3, substrates no IL films could be grown at all. In the case of SrTiO3, the lattice match is good only for Sr-rich fil ms, while in the case of LaAlO3, no good match can be obtained for any composition. Such substrate effects are not unexpected due to the imp ortance of the substrate for the pseudomorphic stabilization of the ot herwise unstable IL structure.