Thin Oxide Film Characterization Methods

Abstract

Various techniques of materials characterization are also crucial in order to “see” what is happening during and after the growth, as well as to be able to analyze the properties of the resulting structure. In this chapter, we provide a brief overview of the more commonly used thin film characterization methods based on incident electrons, photons, ions, and scanning probe techniques. These techniques can be used to determine the crystalline structure, and electronic and chemical characteristics of epitaxial oxide systems. In most cases, a combination of one or more of these techniques is performed in order to gain a more complete picture of the sample being measured. The chapter is primarily designed to introduce thin film growth practitioners to the most common characterization methods available and what types of information can be obtained from them.