Microstructure of TiO2 rutile thin films deposited on (110) α−Al2O3

Abstract

TiO2 rutile thin films grown on (110) sapphire (α−Al2O3) by the MOCVD technique have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The TiO2 rutile thin films grew on the sapphire with two epitaxial orientations. The epitaxial orientation relationships between the rutile films (R) and the sapphire substrate (S) were found to be (1) (101)[010]R ‖ (110)[0001]s. Detailed atomic structures of near-interface regions have been investigated by HREM, providing a clear picture of the initial stage of film growth. HREM images show that about 70% of the nuclei at the interface are the (101) rutile, but most of them are very small, about 5 nm (or 2% of the film thickness) in the growth direction. The film growth was dominated by the (200) orientation. Nucleation and growth of the films will be discussed in terms of the lattice mismatch at the interface and growth rates along the two orientations. Planar defects such as twin boundaries and special grain boundaries are commonly observed in the films, especially in regions close to the substrate. The twin plane and twinning direction are {101} and 〈101〉, respectively. Special grain boundaries are found to be correlated with nucleation and twinning.