Structural properties and phase formation of epitaxial PbVO

We report epitaxial synthesis of PbVO₃ (PVO) thin films on LaAlO₃ (LAO) (0 0 1) substrates under reduction atmosphere from a Pb_2V2O₇ sintered target over a wide range of temperatures using laser ablation. Polar magnetic PVO has a non-centrosymmetric structure (tetragonality c/a = 1.23). The effects of substrate temperature on structural properties and chemical composition of PVO thin films were studied by x-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive spectrometry. The c-axis of the PVO films was abnormally elongated as much as 5-7% on the well-lattice-matched LAO substrates. Using Raman scattering spectroscopy, single phase formation of PVO with the shift of phonon modes was confirmed and epitaxial growth of the PVO films was also confirmed with polarization-dependent measurements. The strained and epitaxial growth of the PVO films will lead to a new class of multiferroic materials with future electronic device applications.