Ferroelectric PbTiO3 Thin Films Prepared by Multi-Ion-Beam Sputter and Ion-Assisted Deposition

Very thin PbTiO3 films of ∼350 Å were synthesized in situ on MgO substrates by multi-ion-beam sputter deposition using metal targets. Crystalline films in a perovskite phase were obtained at a low substrate temperature of 415°C by means of reactive sputtering in an oxygen ambient. The formation of crystal phases was studied as a function of deposition parameters, and ion-beam-assisted deposition using an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma was also employed to improve the film growth. Low-energy (<300 eV) oxygen ion bombardment was found to enhance c-axis orientation and crystallization at a lower substrate temperature of 400°C.