GROWTH OF HIGHLY ORIENTED BI4TI3O12(104) THIN-FILMS ON AL2O3(0001) SUBSTRATES USING PULSED-LASER DEPOSITION

Using pulsed laser deposition, Bi4Ti3O12 thin films were grown on Al2O 3(0001) substrates. Laser fluence, substrate temperature, and oxygen p ressure during deposition were varied in wide ranges, and their effect s on Bi4Ti3O12 growth behaviors were investigated. It is possible to g row a Bi4Ti3O12 film whose (104) planes are normal to the Al2O3 c axis . However, the Bi4Ti3O12 film is not grown epitaxially. Instead, it is composed of grains with their c axes along six crystallographic orien tations. This growth behavior of preferential orientations is explaine d in terms of atomic arrangements in the Bi4Ti3O12(104) and the Al2O3( 0001) planes. (C) 1994 American Institute of Physics.