Preparation of Atomically Smooth SrTiO₃ Substrates

Abstract

SrTiO₃ has been used as a substrate to grow thin films of materials including high-temperature superconductors such as cuprates, ferromagnetic oxides such as manganites, and ferroelectric oxides such as BaTiO₃. The use of SrTiO₃ as a substrate for the deposition of manganite thin films provides an excellent template for observing unique effects observed only in ferromagnets, such as the anomalous and planar Hall effects. The as-received SrTiO₃ substrates require a process that prepares atomically smooth surfaces for thin film deposition. This study focuses on using ultrasonic cleaning, water annealing, and thermal annealing in air to prepare SrTiO₃ substrate surfaces and verifying their smoothness at the atomic scale using atomic force microscopy.