Growth and structural characteristics of perovskite-wurtzite oxide ceramics thin films

Wurtzite ZnO thin films were grown on single-crystal perovskite SrTiO₃(STO) (1 0 0) substrates at various temperatures. The ZnO/STO thin films thus formed exhibit a preferred (1 1 0)-orientation at a growth temperature of 600-700 °C. A high growth temperature enhances not only the (1 1 0)-texture of ZnO/STO thin films but also the crystalline quality of the film. (La_0.7Sr_0.3)MnO₃ (LSMO) thin films were subsequently grown on ZnO(1 1 0)/STO(1 0 0) substrates with various thicknesses, and were polycrystalline. A thicker LSMO film has a stronger (0 0 l)-preferred orientation than the thinner one. The lattice distortion of LSMO decreases as the LSMO thickness increases. Magnetization vs. temperature curves show that both crystalline quality and lattice distortion influence the magnetic properties of LSMO thin films. The physical properties of the manganite oxide can be modulated by forming a heterostructure with wurtzite ZnO.