Radio frequency magnetron sputtering deposition of hetero-epitaxial strontium barium niobate thin films (SrxBa1-xNb2O6)

Mireille Cuniot-Ponsard (1) , Jean-Michel Desvignes (1) , Buntha Ea-Kim (1) , Eric Leroy (2)

1 Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique / Manolia
2 CMTR - Chimie métallurgique des terres rares

Excellent electro-optic properties of SrxBa1−xNb2O6 crystals (SBN:x) motivate the attempts to control the deposition of high ordered SBN thin films with the aim of optical waveguiding and processing integration. We have examined the ability of sputtering techniques to deposit stoichiometric SBN thin films. Composition analysis has enabled us to probe the mechanisms which control the target-film composition transfer and to define an experimental strategy for stoichiometry control. Epitaxial (001) SBN thin films have been obtained on MgO (100) substrates, which exhibit two in-plane orientations (±31°) mirror symmetric to the MgO cell axis.

Domains: Optics [physics.optics]

Mireille Cuniot-Ponsard, Jean-Michel Desvignes, Buntha Ea-Kim, Eric Leroy. Radio frequency magnetron sputtering deposition of hetero-epitaxial strontium barium niobate thin films (SrxBa1-xNb2O6). Journal of Applied Physics, 2003, 93 (3), pp.1718-1724. ⟨10.1063/1.1535749⟩. ⟨hal-00871187⟩