THE GROWTH AND PHASE-TRANSITIONS OF EPITAXIAL PB(ZR0.95TI0.05)O-3 THIN-FILMS PREPARED BY SPUTTER-DEPOSITION COMBINED WITH POSTANNEALING ON SRTIO3(100)

Epitaxial Pb(Zr0.95Ti0.05)O-3 thin films of an orthorhombic perovskite structure have been grown on SrTiO3(100) substrates using radio-frequ ency sputter deposition from a stoichiometric ceramic target. The film s were deposited without substrate heating and then annealed at 700 de grees C in a conventional furnace. The single-crystal nature of the fi lms was confirmed by the cross-section scanning electron microscopy, X -ray diffraction (XRD) including theta-2 theta scan and phi-scan, as w ell as reflection high energy electron diffraction. The films are a mi xture of a- and c-domains. The experiments of high-temperature XRD ind icated that the Curie point of the films is close to that for the stoi chiometric ceramic target. On heating, however, the orthorhombic-rhomb ohedral phase transition in the epitaxial films occurred at about 190 degrees C, far higher than the corresponding transition temperature (5 1.6 degrees C) for its bulk counterpart. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.