Synthesis of Potassium Niobiate (KNbO3) Thin Films by Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Epitaxy

Autor: Wojciech L. Suchanek
Rok vydání: 2004
Předmět:
Zdroj: Chemistry of Materials. 16:1083-1090
ISSN: 1520-5002
0897-4756
Popis: Orthorhombic KNbO3 thin films were deposited on SrTiO3 (100) and LiTaO3 (001) substrates by low-temperature hydrothermal epitaxy at 180−210 °C using aqueous solutions containing Nb2O5 and KOH. The films were thoroughly characterized by X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering, and scanning electron microscopy. The KNbO3 films were uniformly distributed on the entire substrate area, exhibited high stoichiometry, and did not show evidence of interdiffusion or chemical reaction at the film/substrate interface. Their microstructures were determined by the substrate used, the synthesis temperature, and the concentration of the reactants. The KNbO3 films on SrTiO3 (100) substrates with thickness of 45 nm to 1.28 μm were smooth and transparent, with microstructures strongly suggesting single crystal growth mechanism. They were pure orthorhombic phase with (011) orientation and probably single-domain. Conversely, the KNbO3 films with higher thickness (>3.5 μm) exhibited very rough microstructure with textured...
Databáze: OpenAIRE