Crystallization Study by Transmission Electron Microscopy of SrTiO3 Thin Films Prepared by Plasma-Assisted ALD

Abstract

The crystallization behavior of thin strontium titanate (SrTiO3, STO) films with ~15 nm thickness was studied by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Amorphous STO films with [Sr]/([Sr]+[Ti]) ratio ranging from 0.51 to 0.65 were deposited at 350 {degree sign}C by plasma-assisted ALD and subsequently treated by rapid thermal annealing for crystallization. Different temperatures and annealing durations were employed to fully characterize the crystallization process. TEM analysis evidenced the influence of the STO composition and of the thermal budget applied on the grain size, cracks and void formation. In particular, Sr-rich layers ([Sr]/([Sr]+[Ti] {greater than or equal to} 0.6) showed a finer crystalline structure which was imputed to a higher nucleation probability at the onset of the crystallization process. By tuning the STO composition and the thermal budget of the annealing step it was demonstrated that it is possible to control the microstructure of the crystallized STO layers.