PLDLINK: In situ X-ray characterisation of PLD-grown functional oxides

Magnetoelectric multiferroics with strong cross-coupling between ferroelectric and magnetic order parameters have attracted a lot of attention, both, for scientific and technological reasons promising novel multifunctional devices (e.g. spintronics and microwave techniques).

The goal of PLDLINK is to gain fundamental understanding of the growth of such complex oxides produced by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), thus enabling optimization of the growth parameters for fabrication of multiferroic oxide systems with high technological relevance.

The systems under study will comprise both homogeneous multiferroic systems (LuFeO₃/Lu₂FeO₄) and multiferroic sandwiches (BaFe₁₂O₁₉ (BaM)/Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃ (BSTO)), i.e. multilayers consisting of ferroelectric and (anti)-ferromagnetic components.

The compact PLD facility, designed for in-situ growth of dielectric, ferroelectric and ferromagnetic thin-films and structure characterization, integrates in-situ X-ray diffraction, surface scattering and in-situ RHEED. Located at  the NANO beamline, it allows the influence of growth and annealing, e.g. on phase transitions and strain evolution, and reversible and irreversible microstructural processes to be observed in real-time.

The project brings together German and Czech research groups with a strong background in theory, methods, and instrumentation for in-situ thin film growth and x-ray characterization, in transmission electron microscopy, and in their application to study growth kinetics and structure of thin films and nanostructures, complemented by a large laboratory for magnetometry studies.

Funding & Project Partners

PLDLINK is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under project no. 412136875.

The project partners are:

• Prof. G. T. Baumbach, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology; Laboratory for Applications of Synchrotron Radiation (KIT-LAS)
• Prof. R. Schneider, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology; Laboratory for Electron Microscopy (KIT-LEM)
• Prof. Václav Holý, Charles University; Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics (CU)

Publications

1. The power of in situ pulsed laser deposition synchrotron characterization for the detection of domain formation during growth of Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃ on MgO. Bauer, S.; Lazarev, S.; Molinari, A.; Breitenstein, A.; Leufke, P.; Kruk, R.; Hahn, H.; Baumbach, T.,  Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 21 (2), 386–394, 2014. doi:10.1107/S1600577513034358
2. Time-Resolved Morphology and Kinetic Studies of Pulsed Laser Deposition-Grown Pt Layers on Sapphire at Different Growth Temperatures by in Situ Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-ray Scattering, Bauer, S.; Rodrigues, A.; Horák, L.; Nergis, B.; Jin, X.; Schneider, R.; Gröger, R.; Baumbach, T.; Holý, V., Langmuir, 37 (2), 734–749, 2021 doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02952
3. Combined In Situ XRD and Ex Situ TEM Studies of Thin Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃ Films Grown by PLD on MgO, Bauer, S.; Rodrigues, A.; Jin, X.; Schneider, R.; Müller, E.; Gerthsen, D.; Baumbach, T., Crystal research and technology, 55 (9), Art. Nr.: 1900235, 2020, doi:10.1002/crat.201900235
4. In situ grazing-incidence x-ray scattering study of pulsed-laser deposition of Pt layers, Holý, V.; Bauer, S.; Rodrigues, A.; Horák, L.; Jin, X.; Schneider, R.; Baumbach, T., Physical review / B, 102 (12), Article: 125435, 2020, doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.102.125435
5. Structure Quality of LuFeO₃ Epitaxial Layers Grown by Pulsed-Laser Deposition on Sapphire/Pt, Bauer, S.; Rodrigues, A.; Horák, L.; Jin, X.; Schneider, R.; Baumbach, T.; Holý, V., Materials, 13 (1), Art. Nr.: 61, 2020, doi:10.3390/ma13010061
6. Effect of post-annealing on the chemical state and crystalline structure of PLD Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃ films analyzed by combined synchrotron X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Rodrigues, A.; Bauer, S.; Baumbach, T., 2018. Ceramics international, 44 (13), 16017–16024, 2018,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2018.06.038