Composition/structure/property relations of multi-ion-beam reactive sputtered lead lanthanum titanate thin films: Part I. Composition and structure analysis

Abstract

Material properties are greatly dependent upon the structure of the material. This paper, the first of three parts, discusses how composition influences the crystallographic structure and microstructure of lead lanthanum titanate (PLT) thin films grown by the multi-ion-beam reactive sputtering (MIBERS) technique. A transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study detailing the relationship between crystallographic texturing and microstructure development will be presented in a second paper. The dependence of the ferroelectric properties on observed crystallographic structure and microstructure is presented in the third paper of this series. As-deposited PLT microstructures coincide with the structure zone model (SZM) which has been developed to describe the microstructure of thin films deposited by physical vapor deposition. The as-deposited PLT structures are altered during post-deposition annealing as a result of crystallization and PbO evaporation. Amorphous films with more than 10 mole % excess PbO become polycrystalline with porous microstructures after annealing. When there is less PbO in the as-deposited film, 〈100〉 texture and dense structures are observed. Porosity results from PbO evaporation, and 〈100〉 texture is inhibited by excess PbO.