Effects of the thermal annealing processes on praseodymium oxide based films grown on silicon substrates

We have investigated the effects of thermal annealing processes on Pr2O3/Pr-O-Si system grown using the metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique from the Pr(tmhd)3 [(H-tmhd = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylheptane-3,5-dione)] precursor. The influence of different atmospheres (Ar and O2) during the annealing process has been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The annealing processes have been carried out at two different temperatures, 800 and 900 °C, for 4 h. The praseodymium films have been found to be stable in argon atmosphere up to 800 °C whilst at 900 °C the film crystallization has been observed. On the other hand, in oxygen environment, evidence of crystallization processes has already been detected at 800 °C. The electron diffraction patterns of the crystallized films have shown some of the most intense reflections of the stoichiometric Pr8Si6O24 phase.