Microstructure and electrical properties of lanthanum nickel oxide thin films deposited by metallo-organic decomposition method

Lanthanum nickel oxide (LaNiO3:LNO) thin films were grown on SiO2/Si substrates by a metallo-organic decomposition method, and their crystalline structure, microstructure and electrical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that fully (1 0 0)-oriented perovskite LaNiO3 films could be obtained by annealing at 600 °C. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the films consisted of packed grains with a mean grain size of approximately 20 nm and some organic compounds. The resistivity of the LaNiO3 films decreased as the annealing temperature increased rapidly from 500 to 600 °C, and increased with annealing temperature from 700 °C. The LaNiO3 films annealed at 600 °C had a lower resistivity of 9.27×10−6 Ω m, because they mainly crystallized in the perovskite and their surface was crack-free and very smooth.