Electrical conductivity of SrRuO3 thin films prepared by laser ablation

SrRuO3 (SRO) thin films were prepared by laser ablation. The optimum preparation condition of highly electrically conductive SRO thin films was investigated. The substrate temperature (Tub) was changed from room temperature to 973 K, and the deposition atmosphere was at a high vacuum (P = 10(-6) Pa) and in O-2 at oxygen pressures (P-O2) of 0.13 and 13 Pa. The films deposited at P = 10(-6) Pa and P-O2, = 0.13 Pa were amorphous structure. At T-sub > 573 K and P-O2, = 13 Pa. well-crystallized pseudo-cubic SRO thin films with (110) orientation were obtained. With increasing T-sub, the conductivity of SRO films increased from 7.7 x 10(3) to 9.1 X 10(4) S(.)m(-1). The epitaxially grown SRO films on (100) SrTiO3 substrates exhibited the highest conductivity of 1.8 x 10(5) S(.)m(-1).