Using a perovskite oxide buffer layer on Ca2Nb3O10 nanosheets for the epitaxial growth of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 for electrode-free thin films

Abstract

Ca2Nb3O10 nanosheet layers were deposited on Gallium Nitride (GaN)-on-Si substrates by the Langmuir-Blodgett method to obtain (001)-oriented growth of perovskite oxide thin films using pulsed laser deposition. We investigated the influence of 10 nm thick SrTiO3, (LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 (LSAT) and LaMnO3 films as buffer layers on the structural and ferroelectric properties of subsequentially grown Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) films, which may be used as gate capacitors in high power GaN devices. Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, X-Ray-Diffraction and in-plane polarization experiments were used to determine the influence of the oxide buffer layers on the PZT properties. Highly crystalline dense (001)-oriented PZT films with large in-plane polarizations were obtained using SrTiO3 and LSAT as buffer layers. For SrTiO3 and LSAT we observed an improvement of the structural and ferroelectric properties compared to PZT grown directly on the Ca2Nb3O10 nanosheets and or using a LaMnO3 buffer layer. The improved high-crystallinity PZT films grown on GaN using ultrathin buffer layers could enhance the performance of high-power semiconductor electronics or in other devices where there is a need for a ferroelectric layer without bottom electrode.