Ion-Assisted Deposition of Lead Titanate Thin Films by Controlled-Magnetic Field Sputtering

Abstract

Ferroelectric thin films of lead titanate were deposited on glass and MgO(100) of 15 mm×15 mm in size by dc magnetron sputtering. The discharge characteristics were studied through the observation of the target erosion pattern and by the probe current technique at the substrate site with different magnetic field configurations. The radius of the target erosion pattern corresponded to the magnetic field component vertical to the target surface, which in turn affected the plasma density distribution over the substrate holder. Low-energy ion bombardment onto a growing film on the glass enhanced the surface reaction rate and growth kinetics, and hence the crystallinity and the orientation were also affected. In the case of the film on MgO(100), the c-axis lattice parameter was expanded by the induced defect structure.