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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
The epitaxial Ni (111) thin film on the oxide substrate could be obtained by a novel epitaxy method, employing pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of NiO (111) epitaxial film on the sapphire (α-Al2O3 single crystal) substrate and successive hydrogen reduction of NiO. The NiO (111) epitaxial film was deposited on the sapphire (0001) substrate at room-temperature by PLD, and then reduced into the Ni epitaxial film by annealing (300 °C to 500 °C) in the hydrogen-atmosphere. On the other hand, the polycrystalline Ni metal thin film was obtained by reduction of the polycrystalline NiO film, indicating necessity of epitaxial growth for the precursor oxide thin film in the metal epitaxy. The present epitaxy method suggests the possible formation of [Ni/α-Al2O3] epitaxial multilayer via selective reduction of oxide multilayer.