Initial results of the waveguiding properties of KNbO3 thin films are presented. The refractive indices of epitaxial films deposited on single crystal magnesium oxide substrates have been measured. Additionally, these films have been used as the basis for modelling a potassium niobate thin film phase modulator. Results of the model are compared with existing technology.

Highly–ordered, up to nearly–single–crystalline films of SbSI and LiNbO3 on amorphous substrates (oxidized silicon, fused quartz) were prepared by laser zone–melting recrystallization basing on principles of artificial epitaxy, or graphoepitaxy. Some conclusions are made about tentative orientation mechanism(s) in these processes.

The plasma-enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (PE-MOCVD) process has been successfully used to achieve high quality epitaxial growth of BaTiO3 thin films on (001) LaA103 and (001) NdGaO3 substrates at a substrate temperature of 680°C. The PEMOCVD system, which incorporates a 300-Watt microwave cavity, introduces excited species from an oxygen plasma to lower the required deposition temperature, as compared to thermal MOCVD growth of BaTiO3. X-ray diffraction (XRD) θ-20 scan patterns indicate that there are few randomly oriented grains and impurity phases in the epitaxial BaTiO3 films. Results of XRD ϕ-scans of the BaTiO3 (202) reflection show a modulation pattern of peaks every 90°, which demonstrates that the BaTiO3 thin films have no misorientation along the [100] and [010] directions of the substrates. An XRD ω rocking curve of the BaTiO3 (200) reflection had a narrow FWHM of 0.25°, indicating that the films have a high degree of preferred orientation of <100> perpendicular to the substrates. The high degree of epitaxial crystallinity is further confirmed by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry which gives a minimum yield of 7.5% and 11% for the films deposited on LaAIO3 and NdGaO3, respectively. Scanning electron micrographs show that these films have very smooth surface morphologies, which are desirable for device applications.