Disentangling Epitaxial Growth Mechanisms of Solution Derived Functional Oxide Thin Films
Queraltó López, Albert (Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona)
De La Mata, Maria (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia)
Arbiol i Cobos, Jordi (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia)
Obradors, Xavier (Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona)
Puig i Molina, Mª Teresa (Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona)

Date:	2016
Abstract:	This study investigates the mechanisms of epitaxial development and functional properties of oxide thin films (CeZrO , LaNiO, and BaSrTiO) grown on single crystal substrates (YO:ZrO, LaAlO, and SrTiO) by the chemical solution deposition approach. Rapid thermal annealing furnaces are very powerful tools in this study providing valuable information of the early stages of nucleation, the kinetics of epitaxial film growth, and the coarsening of nanocrystalline phases. Advanced transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy are employed to investigate the film microstructure and morphology, microstrain relaxation, and epitaxial crystallization. This study demonstrates that the isothermal evolution toward epitaxial film growth follows a self-limited process driven by atomic diffusion, and surface and interface energy minimization. All investigated oxides experience a transformation from the polycrystalline to the epitaxial phase. This study unequivocally evidences that the film thickness highly influences the epitaxial crystallization rate due to the competition between heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation barriers and the fast coarsening of polycrystalline grains as compared to epitaxial growth. The investigated films possess good functional properties, and this study successfully confirms an improvement at long annealing times that can be correlated with grain boundary healing processes. Thick epitaxial films can be crystallized by growing sequential individual epitaxial layers.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad SEV-2015-0496 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-753 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CSD2007-00041 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2011-28874-C02-01 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad ENE2014-56109-C3-3-R Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2014-56063-C2-1-R Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2015-68994-REDC
Note:	Altres ajuts: CSIC E-08-2012-1321248 i E-08-2013-1028356
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Chemical solution deposition ; Epitaxial crystallization ; Functional oxides ; Rapid thermal annealing
Published in:	Advanced materials interfaces, Vol. 3, Núm. 18 (September 2016) , art. 1600392, ISSN 2196-7350

DOI: 10.1002/admi.201600392

Post-Print 44 p, 7.2 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles