LAUSR

The structural and phase changes induced by heat treatment (HT) and brief lamp processing (LP) in 70- and 1500-nm-thick Li–Nb–O films similar in elemental composition to LiNbO3, grown on the surface of unheated substrates (monocrystalline Si wafer and NaCl single crystal) by rf magnetron sputtering and ion-beam sputtering of a LiNbO3 target have been studied by reflection high-energy electron diffraction and X‑ray diffraction. The as-grown films were extremely nanostructured and consisted of crystalline lithium oxides, niobium oxides, and LiNbO3 as the product of reaction between them. We have demonstrated the conceptual feasibility of driving the synthesis of polycrystalline LiNbO3 films to completion using HT or brief LP. In the case of LP, LiNbO3 synthesis is three orders of magnitude faster than in the case of HT.