Films were prepared by pulsed laser ablation with a KrF excimer laser. A novel growth process was employed using nucleation at a high temperature and subsequent film growth at a low temperature. This two-step growth process gave rise to a high-quality LiNbO3 film without twins and cracks. This process was expected to be effective for preparing excellent LiNbO3 films for the waveguide applications.

Preparation of Twin- and Crack-Free LiNbO3 Films by Pulsed Laser Ablation Using Nucleation Process at High Temperature. S.Yamada, Y.Nishibe, S.Ohtsubo, Y.Yonezawa, A.Morimoto, T.Shimizu, K.Ishida, Y.Masaki: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics - 2, 2002, 41[3A], L275-7