The role of heteroepitaxy in the development of new thin-film oxide-based functional materials

The methods of synthesis of new oxide compounds and thin-film materials based on the use of heteroepitaxy are considered. The thermodynamic model and the theory of the epitaxial stabilisation phenomenon are outlined, the role of thermodynamic and structure-geometric factors determining the possibility of epitaxial stabilisation of unstable phases is interpreted. The use of epitaxial stabilisation for the design of heterostructures with specific electric properties is demonstrated. The characteristic features of the structural relations between the film and substrate materials, resulting in the formation of thin films with different numbers of variants, are discussed.