Oxidation kinetics in SrTiO3 homoepitaxy on SrTiO3(001)

Using an oblique-incidence optical reflectivity difference technique, we in vestigated kinetic processes in SrTiO3 homoepitaxy on SrTiO3(001) under pul sed-laser deposition conditions. Depending upon growth temperature and oxyg en ambient pressure, we found that the oxidation of an as-grown SrTiO3 mono layer may take a much longer time to complete than the recrystallization of the monolayer. The oxidation reaction was found to be characterized by an effective activation energy barrier of 1.35 eV and a large preexponential f actor. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.