Structural and optical properties of single crystal Zn2TiO4 films prepared on MgO (110) substrates

Zinc orthotitanate (Zn2TiO4) thin films were prepared on MgO (110) substrates by a pulsed laser deposition system. The structural, surface morphological and optical properties of the obtained samples were investigated. Monocrystalline Zn2TiO4 films with cubic structure were obtained through post annealing process and the film annealed at 1000 degrees C exhibited the optimal crystalline quality. The XRD Phi scan measurements and high resolution transmission electron microscopy results showed that the epitaxial relationship of Zn2TiO4 film on MgO substrate is Zn2TiO4 (220)parallel to MgO (220) and Zn2TiO4 [001]parallel to MgO [001]. The 1000 degrees C-annealed Zn2TiO4 film has excellent transparency in the visible light range and a wide band gap of 4.41 eV.