Domain structure of epitaxial PbTiO3 thin films on LaAlO3(100) grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition

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Abstract
Leadtitanate ( PbTiO 3 ) thin film has been deposited on lathanum aluminate LaAlO 3 (100) (using pseudocubic index) single crystalline substrate by metal organic chemical vapor deposition at 550–700 °C. Microstructure of the films has been studied by the four-circle x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy methods. Due to the noncubic symmetry of the LaAlO 3 substrate at room temperature, the grownfilms exhibited more complex domain structure than those grown on cubic MgO or SrTiO 3 substrates. The x-ray pole figure of LaAlO 3 pseudocubic (002) peak has revealed two separate peaks at room temperature, indicating the existence of the two types of domain in the substrate. Consequently, the epitaxially grown PbTiO 3 films were found to exhibit two distinguishable c domains, and eight a-domain peaks, as demonstrated by the x-ray pole figures employing PT(002) and PT(200) Bragg peaks. The domain structure and the domain formation mechanism are discussed in this article.