LSAT (001) termination: An investigation on the influence of annealing parameters on topography

摘要: La0.18Sr0.82Al0.59Ta0.41O3 (LSAT) is a commonly used single-crystalline substrate for the epitaxial growth of thin films. However, a systematic end-to-end study of influential parameters on the surface termination is lacking. In this regard, our extensive investigation provides an insight into various annealing parameters influencing atomic termination on understudied LSAT (001), suggesting a possible inevitable scenario of LSAT termination with concomitant mound formation. Annealing parameter optimizations are directly found to influence SrO mound size and density. Whereas annealing temperature, annealing duration, and rate of heating/cooling affect the step and terrace features. A terrace width as wide as ∼178 nm was achieved. Furthermore, lanthanum vapor aids to reduce SrO mound formation; however, complete removal of the same was not achieved. Altogether, this study presents an alternate insight …