Effect of oxygen pressure on microstructure, texture and growth characteristics of laser ablated BaTiO3 thin films

Abstract The effect of oxygen pressure on the characteristics of BaTiO3 thin films synthesized by pulsed-laser deposition technique was studied systematically in the present work. These films are highly textured in the (110) orientation and exhibit a low growth rate (∼66 nm/min) when deposited under low oxygen pressure (<3 Pa). The films are (111)-preferentially oriented and grow at a higher rate (∼104 nm/min) when synthesized under high oxygen pressure (∼100 Pa). The (110)-textured films possess slightly larger lattice parameters than the (111)-preferred-oriented films; that is, a0(110)=0.4042 nm and a0(111)=0.3992 nm, respectively. The characteristics of the (110)-textured films are accounted for by the alternation of O2--O2- and Ba2+-O2- layers within the (110) lattice planes.