Growth and structure of Bi0.5(Na0.7K0.2Li0.1)0.5TiO3 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique

Bi-0.5(Na0.7K0.2Li0.1)(0.5)TiO3 (BNKLT) thin films were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The films prepared were examined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The effects of the processing parameters, such as oxygen pressure, substrate temperature and laser power, on the crystal structure, surface morphology, roughness and deposition rates of the thin films were investigated. It was found that the substrate temperature of 600 degrees C and oxygen pressure of 30 Pa are the optimized technical parameters for the growth of textured film, and all the thin films prepared have granular structure, homogeneous grain size and smooth surfaces. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.