Structural and Electrical Characterization of Lead Metaniobate Thin Films Deposited by Pulsed Laser Ablation.

Lead niobate thin films have been prepared by laser ablation, at different substrate temperatures (T dep ) and with different oxygen pressures (pO 2 ). For low deposition temperatures the films presented a rhombohedric-PbNb 2 O 6 structural phase, with hysteresis cycles characteristic of a paraelectric. As T dep increased the films started to develop an orthorhombic-PbNb 2 O 6 structure that appeared at 400°C and remained up to 600°C. For low pO 2 , a mixture of this phase and a lead deficient phase was present in the films. Increasing the oxygen pressure the lead deficient phase was strongly reduced and the films presented only the ferroelectric orthorhombic-PbNb 2 O 6 structural phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]