Sr- and Mg-doped LaGaO3 powders with various dopant concentrations (La1
-
x
Sr
x
Ga1
-
y
Mg
y
O3
-
(
x
+
y
)/2 where 0.02 ≤ x ≤ 0.2 and 0.02 ≤ y ≤ 0.2) were synthesized through a novel solution
combustion route. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate orthorhombic structure for compositions
0 ≤ x ≤ 0.075 and 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.075 and primitive − cubic for 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.2 and 0.1 ≤ y ≤ 0.2.
Thin films of La1
-
x
Sr
x
Ga1
-
y
Mg
y
O3
-
(
x
+
y
)/2 (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.2 and 0.1 ≤ y ≤ 0.2) were deposited
using both Nd:YAG (532 nm) and excimer (248 nm) lasers. The as-deposited films at room
temperature were amorphous, which on annealing at 973 K exhibited single-phase cubic
structure. Films deposited with excimer laser were smooth and particulate free compared
to Nd:YAG laser deposition. The LSGM films on Si[111] and sapphire[0001] substrates
showed good surface morphology compared to films on MgO[001] and amorphous quartz.
Films were found to be slightly rich in Sr/La ratio compared to target composition. O+, O,
Ga+, Ga, and La+ were the major species in the laser ablation plume with ion and neutral
velocities of 3 × 105 and 3 × 104 cm/s, respectively.