Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
La-Ni-O films were deposited at deposition temperature ranging from 250 to 540°C by rf magnetron sputter deposition. The effects of deposition temperature and the following heat-treatment condition on the constituent phases and characteristics of LaNiO3 films were investigated. LaNiO3 phase was obtained at the deposition temperature of 250 and 360°C, while La-rich phase of La2NiO4 was appeared above 540°C. Crystalline phases of resultant films after the following heat-treatment strongly depended on the partial pressure of oxygen gas in ambience, i.e., in case of the heat-treatment at 800°C, diffraction peaks originated from LaNiO3 phase disappeared on XRD patterns in pure nitrogen gas ambience, while impurity peaks of NiO appeared in oxygen-excess (>50%) ambience. As a result, LaNiO3 films with high crystallinity and the same lattice parameter as the bulk one were obtained in the deposition at 360°C followed by the heat-treatment at 700°C in air.