Influence of Pulsed Laser Deposition Modes on Properties of Nanocrystalline LiNbO3 Films

Abstract

The influence of the duration of pulsed laser deposition on the properties of lithium niobate films is elucidated. An increase in the deposition time from 90 to 360 min is found to vary the LiNbO₃ film thickness from (47.5 ± 3.8) to (197.9 ± 15.8) nm as the roughness of the film surface increases from (3.57 ± 0.17) to (32.7 ± 2.32) nm and the grain size increases from (235 ± 22) to (346 ± 33) nm, respectively. The influence of PLD duration on phase composition, electrophysical, and optical properties of nanocrystalline LiNbO₃ films are also explored. The increase in the film thickness from (110.1 ± 8.8) to (143.8 ± 7.0) nm is established to cause the hysteresis in the polarization as a function of field strength, which allows us to refer these films as ferroelectric films and use them in state-of-the-art electron elements of acousto-optics and piezotechnics.