Structure, morphology and I–V characteristics of thermally evaporated LaAlO3 nanostructured thin films.

Nanostructured perovskite LaAlO₃ thin films with thickness of 50 nm, 100 nm, and 150 nm were prepared using thermal evaporation technique. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study reveals the presence of La–Al–O bond. X-ray diffraction pattern confirms the perovskite LaAlO₃ structure. Scanning electron microscope images show the uniform furry structured rods, mixed rods/cubes and flower structured morphology. The presence of elements like La, Al, and O was confirmed from the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of Al/LaAlO₃/Al sandwich capacitor structure show the existence of Poole–Frenkel type conduction mechanism with low leakage current (0.75 × 10^–7 to 1.5 × 10^–7 A/cm²), low activation energy (2.59 to 0.21 eV) and decrease in potential barrier with an increase in the electric field. The acquired results indicated that the prepared LaAlO₃ nanothin film could be captivated with utilization as a dielectric layer in various electronic devices in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]