Fabrication of LSS bottom electrode by PLD

Polycrystalline LaNiO3/SrTiO3/Si(100) (LSS) conducting substrates were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. LSS substrate is a potential candidate for the multiferroic materials for use as bottom electrode. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) equipped with EDX system, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electrical resistivity were employed to characterize the films. Buffer layer SrTiO3 (STO) deposited at 700 °C resulted in dense, smooth and with crack free features. XRD studies confirmed bi-crystalline [(100), (110)] growth of STO on Si(100) substrate. Deposition of bottom electrode LaNiO3 (LNO) epitaxially followed the buffer layer. EDX analyses determined the chemical composition of the films. The role of oxygen partial pressure during deposition affecting the crystallinity and resistivity of the films was explored in detail. Atomic force microscopy revealed the atomic scale features of the films desirable for functional devices. Resistivity of the conducting film (LNO) was ∼10−4 Ω cm at room temperature. Thus it is demonstrated that LNO/STO/Si(100) is a suitable conducting substrate for growth of the multiferroic functional materials.