Novel route for the epitaxial growth of' (SrBa)Nb2O6 thick films by the sol-gel method using a self-template layer

A novel sol-gel processing method has been developed to fabricate epitaxial (SrBa)Nb2O6 (SBN) thin films on MgO substrates. It involves the introducti on of a SBN self-template layer on MgO by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Ef fects of the SBN self-template layer on the structural and morphological pr operties of the sol-gel-derived SBN films were investigated. Compared to th e sol-gel-derived SBN films without a self-template layer, our new techniqu e produces SBN films of excellent epitaxy and more dense grains with unifor m distribution. This can be explained by the self-template-layer-induced ho moepitaxial growth. The innovative processing method with combination of PL D and sol-gel is a promising technique in preparing high-quality, thick epi taxial SBN films for electro-optics device applications.