Microstructure of epitaxial Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbTiO3 thin films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Epitaxial, perovskite Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbTiO3 films were grown by metalorg anic chemical vapor deposition under various deposition conditions and char acterized by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Pyroch lore free films were obtained under all deposition conditions used in this study. Magnesium-rich growth conditions lead to the formation of a Mg-rich impurity phase in the films, embedded as coherent lamellae parallel to the growth direction. Depending on the growth conditions, a wide variation in t he stoichiometry and volume fraction of this impurity phase was found betwe en samples, whereas morphology and crystal structure were found to be very similar. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)01607-8].