Perovskite LaCoO3 thin films on single crystal substrates: MOCVD growth and characterization

Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) has been applied to the fabrication of lanthanum cobaltite (LaCoO3) films on MgO (001) and LaAlO3 (001) substrates. The films have been deposited using a multi-metal source, consisting of the La (hfa)3
- diglyme and Co (tta)2
- tmeda (H-hfa = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedione; diglyme = CH3O-(CH2CH2O) 2CH3, Htta = α-thenoyltrifluoroacetone; tmeda = N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-ethylendiammine) precursor mixture. Structural and morphological characterization of films, carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), proved the present MOCVD approach a suitable effective route for the growth of pure LaCoO3 films. Composition and purity has been assessed through energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses.