Surface structure and electrical properties of solution processed lanthanum nickelate films

Conducting oxides with perovskite crystal structure have many advantages over the simple Pt or Au, Pt based metal bottom electrodes (BE), particularly in fabrication of ferroelectric as well as resistive random access memory devices, if they possess smooth surface morphology. LaNiO3 (LNO) thin films were prepared by modified chemical solution deposition method. Precursor solutions were spin coated onto SiO2-substrates. Deposited layers were thermally treated in a pre-heated furnace at 550 °C and oxygenated up to 800 °C. Results of AFM and FESEM showed that films are very smooth (Ra = 1.69 nm), dense, crack-free and with monodispersed nanocrystallites. Growth conditions such as spinning rate, annealing rates and temperatures etc. have been optimized for mono dispersed crystallinity with very smooth surface morphology. Sheet resistivity, carrier concentration and RMS roughness were correlated with growth temperatures.