Epitaxial growth of (Pb, La)TiO3 thin films on (0001) Al2O3 and (001)SrTiO3 substrates by RF magnetron sputtering

Ferroelectric lead lathanum titanate (PLT) thin films were grown by rf magn etron sputtering on (0001) Al2O3 and (001) SrTiO3 substrates, from a cerami c Pb0.9La0.1TiO3 target, in a reactive Ar/O-2 atmosphere. The surface morph ology was examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM); rms roughness of 2 to 4 nm was achieved on these films. Thin film interfaces were characterized b y grazing X-ray reflectometry : they were found to be relatively smooth, an d no interdiffusion layer was found between the film and the substrate. The structural properties of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Perovskite single phase has been achieved with a temperature of 650 degrees C. Pole figures and asymmetric scans show the epitaxial nature of t he films.