Oxide heterogrowth on ion-exfoliated thin-film complex oxide substrates

Fabrication of a bilayer HfO2/single-crystal LiNbO3 film is demonstrated using deep high-energy He+ implantation in a LiNbO3 wafer, followed by HfO2 atomic layer deposition, and, then, selective etching exfoliation from the bulk LiNbO3 crystal. The properties and morphology of these exfoliated bilayer films are characterized using a set of thin-film probes. Pre-exfoliation film patterning and one model application, in surface-refractive-index tuning of guided waves in a free-standing LiNbO3 film, are also demonstrated.