Second Harmonic Generation Response in Thermally reconstructed Multiferroic β'- Gd₂(MoO₄)₃ Thin Films.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Physics
• Thin Film Technology

Background:

• Gadolinium Molybdate (Gd2(MoO4)3 or GMO) is a multiferroic material with room-temperature ferroelectric and ferroelastic properties.
• Stabilizing GMO in thin films is challenging, limiting its application in advanced device architectures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the stabilization of Gadolinium Molybdate (GMO) thin films on Si(001) substrates.
• To characterize the physicochemical properties of the deposited GMO films.
• To explore methods for achieving a stable and homogeneous multiferroic phase in thin films.

Main Methods:

• Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) for thin film fabrication.
• X-ray diffraction (XRD) for structural analysis.
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for surface chemistry.
• High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) for microstructure.
• Second harmonic generation (SHG) for multiferroic property assessment.

Main Results:

• Successful deposition of GMO thin films on Si(001) substrates.
• Demonstration that post-deposition thermal reconstruction stabilizes the orthorhombic (β'-GMO) multiferroic phase.
• Characterization of film properties, confirming phase stabilization and homogenization.
• Observation of a leaf-like surface mechanism during the reconstruction process.

Conclusions:

• Post-deposition thermal reconstruction is an effective method to stabilize the desired orthorhombic (β'-GMO) phase in thin films.
• The study provides insights into the surface mechanisms governing the reconstruction process.
• This work enables the exploitation of GMO multiferroic properties in novel thin-film device architectures.