Epitaxial Structure of (001)- and (111)-Oriented Perovskite Ferrate Films Grown by Pulsed-Laser Deposition (2024)

We report epitaxial growth and structures of SrFeO _2.5 (SFO) films on SrTiO ₃ (STO) (001) and (111) substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction intensity oscillations were observed during the initial growth on both substrates, reflecting a layer-by-layer growth mode of the formula unit cell. It was found that the films were stabilized with a monoclinic structure that was derived from the original orthorhombic structure of bulk Brownmillerite. Using an X-ray reciprocal space mapping technique, in-plane domain structures and the orientation relationship were investigated. In addition, the impact of laser spot area on the epitaxial structures was studied. For the films grown on the (001) STO, the orientation relationship was robust against the change of the laser spot area: SFO(001)//STO(001) and SFO(100)//STO(100) for the out-of-plane and the in-plane, respectively, with the [001] axis tilted toward the 4-fold a- and b-axes by ∼1.4°, whereas nearly (111)-oriented films were obtained on the (111) STO, exhibiting a complicated manner of tilting that depended on laser spot area. The observed variation in tilting configurations can be understood in terms of possible atomic arrangements at the SFO/STO interface. These results present a guide to control the heteroepitaxial growth and structure of (111)-oriented noncubic perovskites.