Preparation of LaNiO3 thin films by mist plasma evaporation from aqueous precursor

LaNiO3 thin films were prepared by mist plasma evaporation on n-Si(1 1 1) wafers using lanthanum nitrate and nickel nitrate aqueous solutions as precursor. The obtained LaNiO3 thin films possessed a perovskite structure with rhombohedral distortion. No impurity phase was detected in the LaNiO3 film deposited at 630 °C. The grain size of the films decreased with the decreasing substrate temperature, and increased with the increase of deposition time and atomizing rate of precursor. The resistivity of the LaNiO3 films decreased with the decreasing substrate temperature. After annealing at 400 °C for 2 h, the room temperature resistivity of the LaNiO3 film deposited at 630 °C for 20 min decreased from 5.60 to 0.68 mΩ cm.