Growth of epitaxial (100)-oriented rare-earth nitrides on (100)LaAlO3

Epitaxial growth of (100)-oriented rare-earth nitrides (RENs) SmN, GdN, and DyN on (100)LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates is demonstrated using molecular beam epitaxy. RHEED and phi-scans confirm that the cubic RENs grow 45 degrees rotated with respect to the pseudocubic (100)-surface of LAO, which leads to lattice mismatches between -5.8% and -8.7% for the selected RENs. Those lattice mismatches, despite being significant, are smaller than in previously reported epitaxial (100)RENs, with the exception of growth on (100)YSZ (yttria stabilized zirconia), which however causes the formation of an interface oxide layer. The SmN RHEED pattern shows intense streaks, indicating a high quality, flat surface, and the rocking curves are among the narrowest reported for (100)RENs. In contrast to growth on Si, the epitaxial RENs readily form over a wide range of substrate temperatures, without the need of special substrate treatment or intermediate layers. This robust, high quality growth paired with their clear magnetic switching behavior makes epitaxial RENs grown on LAO ideal candidates for future spintronic devices.