Hexagonal rare earth (R=Eu-Dy) manganites:: XRD study of epitaxially stabilized films

Epitaxial thin films of RMnO3 (R=Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy) were prepared using liquid injection MOCVD and studied by XRD. The formation of high-temperature hexagonal polymorphic structure of DyMnO3 and non-existing-as-bulk hexagonal EuMnO3, GdMnO3 and SmMnO3 (traces) was observed on ZrO2(Y2O3) (111) substrates at 900 degreesC due to epitaxial stabilization. For the thickness exceeding the critical one the oriented stable perovskite form grew oil the hexagonal phase. Parallel deposition on perovskite or non-coherent Substrates gave only the stable perovskite phase, epitaxially grown in the former case or oriented in the latter. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.