An Alternative Route for the Synthesis of Oriented LiNbO 3 Thin Films

Abstract A new 2-step growth process was developed, combining both the r.f. sputtering and the pyrosol techniques, in which nucleation and growth stages could be partially separated and controlled. Using this refined deposition method, d c -oriented LiNbO 3 thin films could be successfully grown on (111) silicon and (001) sapphire substrates. Thin film structures have been determined by X-ray diffraction and pole figure analyses. Depositions performed on Si (111) templates led to fiber textures, characteristic of oriented polycrystalline samples. Al 2 O 3 (001) substrates allowed the growth of in-plane oriented layers with two distinguishable variants in the interfacial plane, namely, an aligned variant d 110 LiNbO 3 //[110]Al 2 O 3 and a 60 -rotated one. Keywords: Linbo 3 Thin Filmsr.f. SputteringPyrosol2-step GrowthTexturePole Figures