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Growth-mode induced defects in epitaxial SrTiO3 thin films grown on single crystal LaAlO3 by a two-step PLD process

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2011

Dong Su
Affiliation:
Ceramics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland; and Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1504
Tomoaki Yamada
Affiliation:
Ceramics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
Roman Gysel
Affiliation:
Ceramics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
Alexander K. Tagantsev
Affiliation:
Ceramics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
Paul Muralt
Affiliation:
Ceramics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
Nava Setter
Affiliation:
Ceramics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
Nan Jiang*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1504
*
d)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: nan.jiang@asu.edu
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Abstract

We grew epitaxial SrTiO3 (STO) thin films on (001) LaAlO3 substrates via a two-step procedure using pulsed laser deposition and studied them with transmission electron microscopy in plane-view and cross-sectional samples. We found that partial misfit dislocations are the main interfacial defects, whereas planar defects are the main defects in STO films. Our results suggest that a three-dimensional island mode dominates the growth of the STO film.

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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References

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