Homoepitaxial alignment of SrTiO3 thin films prepared by metallo-organic decomposition

In this paper, the authors demonstrate the homoepitaxial growth of SrTiO3 prepared by the method of metallo-organic decomposition (MOD). Thin films of SrTiO3 are prepared by spin-coating and thermal decomposition of a solution of metallo-organic compounds, on single crystal, left-angle 100 right-angle oriented, SrTiO3 substrates and subsequently heat treated at temperatures ranging from 650 degrees C to 1100 degrees C for 30 minutes. Heat treatment at 1100 degrees C results in the formation of single-crystal SrTiO3, perfectly aligned with respect to the underlying substrate. Ion-channeling analysis shows that the transformation to single-crystal material proceeds epitaxially from the coating-substrate interface towards the surface of the sample. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of partially regrown samples reveal two distinct phases: an epitaxially aligned single-crystal phase, adjacent to the substrate, and a polycrystalline phase on top