Physical structure of lithium niobate thin films.

Thin films of LiNbO have been RF sputter deposited on silicon and sapphire substrates. A number of analytical techniques have been used to determine the physical structure of these films. This analysis shows that the resulting films are stoichiometric LiNbO(3) and oriented polycrystalline in nature. It is now possible to consider applications which utilize the unique properties of these films.