Monophasic TiO2 films deposited on SrTiO3(100) by pulsed laser ablation

Single phase TiO2 thin films, of either rutile or anatase structure, have been prepared on SrTiO3(STO)(100) substrates by in situ pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Thermodynamically unfavorable, for films deposited on STO(100) substrate directly, pure anatase TiO2(00l) films were formed even when a rutile TiO2(110) substrate was used as a target. On the other hand, pure rutile TiO2(110) films were obtained by oxidizing PLD TiN films in-situ at temperatures higher than 700 °C. The optimized deposition conditions for preparing TiN and TiO2 films were reported. The crystalline structure, surface morphology, and electronic structure of these films were examined. A mechanism of the process of film formation is also proposed.