Growth and crystallographic characterization of molecular beam epitaxial WO3 and MoO3/WO3 thin films on sapphire substrates

Molecular beam epitaxy of tungsten trioxide (WO3) on (011¯2)-oriented (r-plane) sapphire substrates and molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) on the WO3 was studied by focusing on their crystallogrhaphic properties. Although polycrystalline monoclinic (γ-phase) WO3 films were grown at 500 °C and they became single-crystalline (0 0 1)-oriented γ-phase at 700 °C, the latter films were oxygen-deficient from stoichiometry and contained dense and deep thermal etchpits. By using a two-step growth method where only the initial 15 nm was grown at 700 °C and the rest part was grown at 500 °C, (0 0 1)-oriented γ-phase single-crystalline WO3 films with stoichiometric composition and smooth surface were obtained. On top of the 15-nm-thick WO3 initiation layer, (1 1 0)-oriented orthorhombic (α-phase) MoO3 films with smooth surface were obtained.