Thermodynamic stability of twisted domains in AgCrSe2 thin films grown on lattice-matched YSZ(111) substrate
Abstract
Control of structural domains in epitaxial thin films of functional materials is a fundamental technique to utilize their intrinsic physical and chemical properties in solid-state devices. In this study, we report on suppression of twisted-domain formation in thin-film growth of polar magnetic semiconductor AgCrSe2 using pulsed-laser deposition. In exploring concomitant optimized growth temperature and Ag/Cr composition ratio of supply, we find the critical growth temperature (Tsub) for obtaining single 60∘ domain in c-axis oriented AgCrSe2 thin film on a lattice-matched (111) plane of the yttria-stabilized zirconia substrate. At temperatures below and above the critical Tsub, metastable 0∘ domain in addition to the 60∘ domain emerges, indicating delicate energy balance of thermodynamic stability for obtaining the single-domain structure. Surface structural analysis using time-of-flight low-energy atom scattering spectroscopy reveals the presence of two polar orientations along +Z and −Z directions. These findings provide valuable insights into the thin-film growth mechanisms for a family of two-dimensional compounds with rhombohedral lattices.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{sato2026thermodynamic,
title = {{Thermodynamic stability of twisted domains in AgCrSe$_2$ thin films grown on lattice-matched YSZ(111) substrate}},
author = {Haruto Sato and Kota Mihara and Kenshin Inamura and Yusuke Tajima and Kazutaka Kudo and Jobu Matsuno and Junichi Shiogai},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2605.23313},
eprint = {2605.23313},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.23313},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Thermodynamic stability of twisted domains in AgCrSe_2 thin films grown on lattice-matched YSZ(111) substrate
AU - Haruto Sato
AU - Kota Mihara
AU - Kenshin Inamura
AU - Yusuke Tajima
AU - Kazutaka Kudo
AU - Jobu Matsuno
AU - Junichi Shiogai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/22
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2605.23313
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.23313
AB - Control of structural domains in epitaxial thin films of functional materials is a fundamental technique to utilize their intrinsic physical and chemical properties in solid-state devices. In this study, we report on suppression of twisted-domain formation in thin-film growth of polar magnetic semiconductor AgCrSe_2 using pulsed-laser deposition. In exploring concomitant optimized growth temperature and Ag/Cr composition ratio of supply, we find the critical growth temperature (T_sub) for obtaining single 60^∘ domain in c-axis oriented AgCrSe_2 thin film on a lattice-matched (111) plane of the yttria-stabilized zirconia substrate. At temperatures below and above the critical T_sub, metastable 0^∘ domain in addition to the 60^∘ domain emerges, indicating delicate energy balance of thermodynamic stability for obtaining the single-domain structure. Surface structural analysis using time-of-flight low-energy atom scattering spectroscopy reveals the presence of two polar orientations along +Z and −Z directions. These findings provide valuable insights into the thin-film growth mechanisms for a family of two-dimensional compounds with rhombohedral lattices.
ER -