The crystal structure of epitaxially grown SnO2 thin films

Abstract It is shown by computer simulation of the transmission electron diffraction patterns and by structural considerations that the recently reported thin film form β-SnO 2 is equivalent to the high pressure form SnO 2 -II. It crystallizes in a columbite-like structure either under the influence of the substrate in the case of epitaxial oxidation of α-SnO to SnO 2 or under the influence of volume contraction conditioned by enhanced pressure and/or temperature during the cassiterite- columbite transformation. The columbite-brookite-cassiterite structural relationship is given and the possibility of the existence of a thin film fluorite-like polymorph is discussed.