Growth of SmNiO3 Thin Films on LaAlO3 Single Crystals

We present experimental results on the growth of SmNiO3 epitaxial thin films, successfully deposited by a liquid source metal-organic (MO) CVD technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterizations and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) are performed in order to optimize the composition and the purity of the films. Depositions on Si (001) and LaAlO3 (001) substrates show that the SmNiO3 phase needs a perovskite substrate with a good lattice match in order to be epitaxially stabilized. Texture analysis performed on asymmetric diffraction lines reveals the epitaxial character of the growth; in-plane and out-of plane mosaicity are determined on a 1000 A thick film.