Annealing of Excimer-Laser-Ablated BaTiO₃ Thin Films

Abstract

Thin films of BaTiO₃ have been deposited on quartz substrates by the excimer laser ablation method. The effects of substrate temperature, oxygen pressure and post-deposition annealing were investigated. At substrate temperatures above 300°C, randomly oriented crystalline BaTiO₃ films with a tetragonal structure were obtained, and the crystallinity was independent of oxygen pressure during the deposition. The film with a-axis preferred orientation perpendicular to the substrate surface was obtained by annealing at 1000°C for 60 minutes.