Structure, morphology and I–V characteristics of thermally evaporated LaAlO3 nanostructured thin films

Nanostructured perovskite LaAlO 3 thin films with thickness of 50 nm, 100 nm, and 150 nm were prepared using thermal evaporation technique. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study reveals the presence of La–Al–O bond. X-ray diffraction pattern confirms the perovskite LaAlO 3 structure. Scanning electron microscope images show the uniform furry structured rods, mixed rods/cubes and flower structured morphology. The presence of elements like La, Al, and O was confirmed from the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Current–voltage ( I – V ) characteristics of Al/LaAlO 3 /Al sandwich capacitor structure show the existence of Poole–Frenkel type conduction mechanism with low leakage current (0.75 × 10 –7 to 1.5 × 10 –7 A/cm 2 ), low activation energy (2.59 to 0.21 eV) and decrease in potential barrier with an increase in the electric field. The acquired results indicated that the prepared LaAlO 3 nanothin film could be captivated with utilization as a dielectric layer in various electronic devices in the future.