PbTiO3-covered ZnO nanorods were grown on Al2O3 by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and their crystalline orientation was investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD). Structural analysis by scanning electron microscopy and XRD revealed that the hexagonal ZnO nanorods had -side facets. XRD analysis of PbTiO3 thin films on ZnO/Al2O3revealed that PbTiO3 was epitaxially grown on ZnO, showing 6 variants of crystallites with the c-axis tilted either 27o or 69o from the surface normal to the ZnO plane. Effective piezoelectric coefficients calculated for the 27o and 69o-crystallites using piezoresponse force microscopy confirm that deformation of nanorods and nanotubes contributed to the large electrically-induced strain along the radial direction.

We report NiSi and Ni(Pt)Si films with excellent thermal stability showing a particular crystal orientation on Si(001). The Ni-silicide film with a deposition temperature of about 200 °C consists of a conformal domain structure. We examined detail crystallographic analysis of silicide and clarified the psudo-epitaxial growth of NiSi(202)//Si(220) [or NiSi(211)//Si(220)] was the key scheme of superior thermal stability. By using this optimized Ni-silicide formation process, we have fabricated Ni-silicide that is thermally stable up to 650 °C and shows low fluctuation in sheet resistance and low leakage current in electrical measurements. This process is a promising candidate for future silicidation technology.

We report on microstructure and ferroelectric properties of ultrathin PbTiO3 films epitaxially grown on SrTiO3(100), La-doped SrTiO3(100) and SrRuO3/SrTiO3(100) by MOCVD. High angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction and x-ray reflectivity measurements demonstrated that 1-20 monolayer (ML)-thick epitaxial PbTiO3 films had high-crystallinity, atomically flat surface and sharp interface at an atomic scale. The epitaxial relationship and thickness were also confirmed by these methods. Kelvin force probe microscopy and contact resonance piezoresponse force microscopy revealed that a 7ML (2.7nm)-thick PbTiO3 film grown on SrRuO3/SrTiO3 had the ferroelectric polarization.

(Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 (PLZT) films with thicknesses of 150 and 225 nm were prepared by the chemical solution deposition method on sputtered Pt/IrO2 coated on SiO2/Si wafers. The annealed films revealed two different microstructures: fined-grained and large-grained. The thinner film had the largest grain size and highest leakage current, whereas the thicker film had small grains and lower leakage. Atomic force microscope images showed that the thinner film had half-domed-shaped grains, which were about one-third thinner at the grain boundary triple points. These triple points also contained a nanocrystalline nonstoichiometric secondary phase, which contributed to high leakage. A model was developed showing differences in crystallization on the basis of grain growth and number of nuclei on the Pt surface. These results indicate the importance of controlling the film microstructure and its relationship to the film electrical properties.