On X-ray diffraction study of preferred grain orientations in polycrystalline thin films — Multicomponent texture in KTaO3 films

A simple and illustrative method of different fast X-ray diffraction sample scans (omega, phi, psi) was applied to the analysis of preferred grain orientation of cubic KTaO3 thin film deposited on highly textured polycrystalline Pt(111) interlayer on Si single crystalline substrate. The material has a tendency to create many different oriented domains — texture components with strongly dominating (100) orientation. By fast subsequent sample scans (ψ-scans) the components with very narrow distribution of orientations were discovered (gradual texture component stripping) and estimated. By comparison with the detector scan taken at low angle of incidence as it is common for thin film analysis it was found that there is also a background of misoriented crystallites in this film together with many texture components. Using only standard single symmetric θ–2θ or asymmetric grazing incidence scans can easily lead to overlooking of important microstructural features.

► Multicomponent texture of KTaO3 thin film on Pt (111) polycrystalline sublayer.
► All oriented domains showed narrow distribution of orientations to the surface.
► Dominating orientation (nearly 90 %) was (100).
► Combination of several different XRD scans was used for the detection of components.