Thin film substrates from the Raman spectroscopy point of view

We have investigated ten standard single crystal substrates of complex oxides on the account of their applicability in the Raman spectroscopy‐based thin film research. In this study, we suggest a spectra normalization procedure that utilizes a comparison of the substrate's Raman spectra to those of well‐established Raman reference materials. We demonstrate that MgO, LaGaO₃, (LaAlO₃)_0.3(Sr₂AlTaO₆)_0.7 (LSAT), DyScO₃, YAlO₃, and LaAlO₃ can be of potential use for Raman‐based thin film research. At the same time TiO₂ (rutile), NdGaO₃, SrLaAlO₄, and SrTiO₃ single crystals exhibit multiple phonon modes accompanied by strong Raman background that substantially hinder Raman‐based thin film experiments. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.