Highly (100)-oriented LaNiO3 films with different oxygen content were deposited on Si substrates by radio frequency sputtering and post-annealed in oxygen and vacuum conditions. The formation of oxygen vacancies was directly observed by a decrease of lattice oxygen ratio in O 1s core-level photoelectron spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction measurement indicated that low oxygen pressure during the deposition or annealing process had a significant influence on the lattice constant of LaNiO3 films. Further valence-band spectra and transport measurements demonstrated that the oxygen vacancies also had a significant influence on the electronic structure and transport behaviours of final LaNiO3 films.

Direct Observation of Oxygen Vacancy and Its Effect on the Microstructure, Electronic and Transport Properties of Sputtered LaNiO3−δ Films on Si Substrates. L.Qiao, X.Bi: Thin Solid Films, 2010, 519[2], 943-6