Texture control of PbTiO3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films with TiO2 seeding

Abstract

The nature and the role of 1 to 5 nm thick TiO 2 seed layers for the growth of textured PbTiO 3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 thin films on textured Pt(111) thin film substrates have been studied. Under otherwise identical in situ sputter deposition process conditions, the PbTiO 3 texture could be turned from (100) to (111) orientation by adding the seed layer. This is demonstrated by patterning the TiO 2 film. Auger electron spectroscopy and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy showed that the seed layer was a continuous TiO 2 film. X-ray photoelectron diffraction measurements revealed epitaxial ordering in the seed layer. As there is no azimuthal order among the Pt grains, the reduced information of azimuthally averaged polar cuts is obtained. These give strong evidence for a strained rutile (110) structure. Various deposition experiments indicated that the TiO 2 is effective only when it is ordered before the PbTiO 3 nucleation starts. The epitaxial relationship between PbTiO 3 (111) and Pt(111) is thus mediated by the intermediate, epitaxial TiO 2 film, which is dissolved or transformed to PbTiO 3 afterwards. The observed growth behavior is discussed in terms of surface and interface energies.

Investigation of the amorphous to crystalline phase transition of chemical solution deposited Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 thin films by soft X-ray absorption and soft X-ray emission spectroscopy

“…This fact was also observed in case of other thin film Ti-oxide compounds grown by pulsed Laser deposition (PLD) [57]. The rutile phase was also found by Muralt et al for sputtered PZT films [58].…”

Local Piezoelectric Properties of Oriented PZT Based Ferroelectric Thin Films

“…To induce other preferential orientations the use of seeding layers or the change of the substrate choice is necessary. Among these methods, the introduction of an additional layer of TiO x , on which we grow the PZT films, results in a 111 preferential orientation [10,11]. The same TiO x layer plays a major role in the epitaxial growth of (001) PZT films on Pt(100)/MgO(100) [12].…”

Atomic structure of (111) SrTiO3∕Pt interfaces

“…In the literature, it has been suggested that either a Pt-Ti intermetallic or TiO 2 on the Pt surface provide a templating layer for (111) epitaxial perovskite growth [14,17].…”

“…If no Ti layer was present, the SrTiO 3 thin films were predominantly (110) oriented, although they also showed an epitaxial relationship with the (111) Pt electrode [12]. Ti adhesion or surface layers have also been shown to promote epitaxial growth on (111) Pt grains for other perovskite films [14][15][16][17].…”