Note that the surface area of the SrTiO3(001) substrate we used for growth is 5 × 5 mm2. We may indirectly visualize the growth evolution of the Ivacaftor EuTiO3 films from the spacial morphological nonuniformity. As shown in Figure 1a, the existence of side facets observed at the top of micro-crystals reveals an initial nucleation growth in cross-like shape. The nucleation then processes from cross-shaped into tetragonal and after that into cuboidal. Accompanying the coalescence of cuboid in the first layer, nucleation on the second layer starts and develops, as shown in Figure 1b. Figure 1c,d clearly reveals

the coalescence process of the micro-crystals on the second layer. A crisscross consisting of dense crosses shown in Figure 1c forms to coalesce the side facets of conjoined micro-crystals. Figure 1d shows coalescence of the crisscross on top of layers. The complete coalescence selleck screening library of the crisscross results

in a great smooth surface of the films shown in Figure 1e. Interestingly, the crosses and the micron-sized tetragon develop regularly and orient highly, which reveals that the films are highly oriented and suggests a tetragonal structure of the film. This indication is evidenced by the following TEM and HRXRD results. Figure 1f shows a cross-sectional SEM image taken on an arbitrary portion of the sample. A layer with a uniform thickness of Selleck EPZ5676 about 600 nm is clearly observed. Figure 1 Top-view and side-view SEM images. Bird’s-eye view from the (a) edge, (b) near-edge, (c) middle-of-edge-and-center, (d) near-center, and (e) center of one sample surface. Note that the surface area of the SrTiO3(001) substrate is

5 × 5 mm2. (f) Cross-sectional SEM image taken in an arbitrary portion of the sample. To directly Morin Hydrate investigate this peculiar epitaxial growth of the EuTiO3/SrTiO3(001) structure, the interface of the structure was examined by TEM. Figure 2a shows a cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron micrograph of the EuTiO3/SrTiO3(001) interface along the SrTiO3[ ] zone axis. The lattice planes of the EuTiO3 film are clearly resolved and are found to be well ordered. Consecutive lattice planes at the interface between the film and the substrate is clear, which precisely and directly evidences a well epitaxial relationship between the deposited film and the substrate, although there might be few dislocations in the interface to release the internal stress due to slight lattice mismatch. The insets in Figure 2a show the high-resolution micrographs of the EuTiO3 films and SrTiO3 substrate taken in focus, respectively. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns of the films and substrate were also taken and are shown in Figure 2b,c, respectively.