Growth mode mapping of SrTiO3 epitaxy

We have mapped the growth mode of homoepitaxial SrTiO3 thin films as a func tion of deposition rate and substrate temperature during pulsed laser depos ition. The transition from layer by layer growth to step flow growth was ma pped by making 260 depositions, 3 monolayers each, on a single substrate. T he growth mode was determined by time-resolved reflection high-energy elect ron diffraction. An atomically smooth surface was regenerated after each de position by annealing the sample at temperatures above 1200 degrees C. The depositions were performed at an oxygen pressure of 10(-6) Torr and covered a temperature range from 900 to 1380 degrees C. The effective activation e nergies of surface migration on Ti- and Sr-terminated surfaces were determi ned from the mapping results. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S000 3-6951(00)02917-X].