Improvement of electron mobility in La:BaSnO3 thin films by insertion of an atomically flat insulating (Sr,Ba)SnO3 buffer layer

One perovskite oxide, ASnO3 (A = Sr, Ba), is a candidate for use as a transparent conductive oxide with high electron mobility in single crystalline form. However, the electron mobility of films grown on SrTiO3 substrates does not reach the bulk value, probably because of dislocation scattering that originates from the large lattice mismatch. This study investigates the effect of insertion of bilayer BaSnO3 / (Sr,Ba)SnO3 for buffering this large lattice mismatch between La:BaSnO3 and SrTiO3 substrate. The insertion of 200-nm-thick BaSnO3 on (Sr,Ba)SnO3 bilayer buffer structures reduces the number of dislocations and improves surface smoothness of the films after annealing as proved respectively by scanning transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. A systematic investigation of BaSnO3 buffer layer thickness dependence on Hall mobility of the electron transport in La:BaSnO3 shows that the highest obtained value of mobility is 78 cm2V−1s−1 because of its fewer dislocations. High electron mobility films based on perovskite BaSnO3 can provide a good platform for transparent-conducting-oxide electronic devices and for creation of fascinating perovskite heterostructures.