Highly c-axis oriented LiNbO3 thin film grown on SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition

Highly c-axis oriented LiNbO3 thin film has been deposited on the SiO2/Si substrate by KrF excimer pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique under optimized conditions of 30-Pa oxygen pressure and 600 °C substrate temperature. The amorphous SiO2 buffer layer was coated on the Si (001) wafer by thermal oxidation in situ. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements confirm that the film shows superior crystalline quality and highly c-axis oriented texture. Neither the Li-enriched LiNbO3 target nor a biased electric field was applied during the deposition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]