Fabrication of buffer layers by metal-organic deposition using 2-ethylhexanates

The fabrication of BaZrO3 (BZO) and La2Zr2O7 (LZO) films was investigated using metal-organic deposition with 2-ethylhexanates on substrates of LaAlO3(100) (LAO) single crystals and Ni-electroplated cube-textured Cu tapes. BZO and LZO films were grown epitaxially on LAO at temperatures above 600 and 750 °C in air, respectively. The BZO and LZO films on LAO had smooth surfaces with root mean square roughness of 1.4 and 0.4 nm, respectively. In contrast, BZO and LZO films fired on Ni/Cu substrates had polycrystalline structures with grain sizes of 10–20 nm.