Quantitative analysis of preferential orientation components of ferroelectric thin films

A quantitative study of the preferred orientation of lanthanum and calcium modified lead titanate thin films, including the measurement of pole figure s and calculation of orientation distribution function (OD), is presented. The main preferential orientation components are identified as <001> and <1 00> perpendicular to the film surface. Variations of the texture strength a nd the contribution of these components to the final texture are observed w ith changes in the film thickness or the substrate used. These variations a re correlated to the ferroelectric properties of these films. This informat ion can be used to optimise the preparation process to obtain improved thin films for pyroelectric and piezoelectric applications.