Liquid phase epitaxy of films with langasite structure

Epitaxial films of Na2CaGe6O14 with langasite structure were deposited by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) technique on isomorphic Nd3Ga5SiO14 substrates at a growth temperature of about 1000°C using K2O–V2O5 based flux. The films were about 100 μm in thickness and had rough surface morphology. The film composition measurements were made by scanning electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA). EPMA data indicated low content of flux forming K+ and V5+ cations in the films grown. Ca2+ enrichment and Na+ decrease were detected in the vicinity of film/substrate interfaces.