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Among ABO3 perovskites, SrMoO3 possesses the lowest electrical resistivity in addition to having high optical transparency in the visible spectrum. This unusual combination of material properties allows it to be a potential replacement for indium tin oxide as a transparent electrode. Thus far, its thin film synthesis has been challenging and limited primarily to pulsed laser deposition and sputtering. Here, we report the growth of SrMoO3 thin films by suboxide molecular beam epitaxy. We demonstrate that optically transparent and conductive SrMoO3 films can be grown by supplying elemental strontium via a conventional effusion cell and thermally evaporating MoO3 pellets as a molybdenum source. The direct supply of a molecular oxygen flux to the MoO3 charge was utilized to prevent reduction to lower oxidation states of the charge to ensure congruent evaporation and, thus, a stable MoO3 molecular flux. The optimal growth conditions were found by varying the Sr to MoO3 flux ratio determined from quartz crystal microbalance measurements and monitoring the growth by reflection high-energy electron diffraction. SrMoO3 thin films with 21 nm thickness were confirmed to be optically transparent with transmission between 75 and 91% throughout the visible spectral range and electrically conducting with a room temperature resistivity of 5.0 × 10−5 Ω cm. This realization of this thin film growth method can be further expanded to the growth of other transition metal perovskites in which cations have extremely low vapor pressure and cannot be evaporated in elemental forms.
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A Hybrid Pulsed Laser Deposition Approach to Grow Thin Films of Chalcogenides
Abstract Vapor‐pressure mismatched materials such as transition metal chalcogenides have emerged as electronic, photonic, and quantum materials with scientific and technological importance. However, epitaxial growth of vapor‐pressure mismatched materials are challenging due to differences in the reactivity, sticking coefficient, and surface adatom mobility of the mismatched species constituting the material, especially sulfur containing compounds. Here, a novel approach is reported to grow chalcogenides—hybrid pulsed laser deposition—wherein an organosulfur precursor is used as a sulfur source in conjunction with pulsed laser deposition to regulate the stoichiometry of the deposited films. Epitaxial or textured thin films of sulfides with variety of structure and chemistry such as alkaline metal chalcogenides, main group chalcogenides, transition metal chalcogenides, and chalcogenide perovskites are demonstrated, and structural characterization reveal improvement in thin film crystallinity, and surface and interface roughness compared to the state‐of‐the‐art. The growth method can be broadened to other vapor‐pressure mismatched chalcogenides such as selenides and tellurides. This work opens up opportunities for broader epitaxial growth of chalcogenides, especially sulfide‐based thin film technological applications.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2122071
- PAR ID:
- 10505882
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials
- Volume:
- 36
- Issue:
- 19
- ISSN:
- 0935-9648
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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