Effect of Laser Energy and Laser Pulses on the Microstructure, Composition and Properties of Barium Strontium Titanate Thin Films Synthesized by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Abstract

ABSTRACTBarium strontium titanate (BSTO) films were synthesized by the pulsed laser deposition technique (PLD) on silicon substrates at room temperature. The thin films were synthesized at ambient temperature and 30 mT oxygen partial pressure, with 300, 400 and 500 mJ/cm2 laser fluence at 5, 10 and 20 pulses per second on silicon wafer substrates. All films were subsequently post-annealed at 750°C in a continuous oxygen stream. The microstructure, crystallinity and lattice constant of the BSTO films were studied with the aid of atomic force microscopy (FEM) and Glancing Angle X-ray Diffraction analysis (GAXRD). The hardness and modulus of elasticity of the films were studied with the aid of a nanohardness indenter. The film stoichiometry was determined with the aid of Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). The results of this research will be combined with the results of our previous work [1, 2] on the effect of substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure on the microstructure and properties of the BSTO films in order to construct a structural zone model (SZM) of the BSTO films synthesized by PLD.