For this study, polarity-controlled ZnO films were grown on lithium niobate (LiNbO3) substrates without buffer layers using the pulsed-laser deposition technique. The interfacial structure between the ZnO films and the LiNbO3 was inspected using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) measurements, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were performed to support these HR-TEM results. The polarity determination of the ZnO films was investigated using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and a chemical-etching analysis. It was verified from the PFM and chemical-etching analyses that the ZnO film grown on the (+z) LiNbO3 was Zn-polar ZnO, while the O-polar ZnO occurred on the (-z) LiNbO3. Further, a possible mechanism of the interfacial atomic configuration between the ZnO on the (+z) LiNbO3 and that on the (-z) LiNbO3 was suggested. It appears that the electrostatic stability at the substrate surface determines the initial nucleation of the ZnO films, leading to the different polarities in the ZnO systems.
Polarity Control of ZnO Films Grown on Ferroelectric (0001) LiNbO3 Substrates without Buffer Layers by Pulsed-Laser Deposition