Monitoring non-pseudomorphic epitaxial growth of spinel/perovskite oxide heterostructures by reflection high-energy electron diffraction

Journal Article · Mon Feb 09 04:00:00 EST 2015 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4908247· OSTI ID:22412622

Schütz, P.; Pfaff, F.; Scheiderer, P.; Sing, M.; Claessen, R. ^[1]

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1. Physikalisches Institut and Röntgen Center for Complex Material Systems (RCCM), Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg (Germany)

Pulsed laser deposition of spinel γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films on bulk perovskite SrTiO{sub 3} is monitored by high-pressure reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). The heteroepitaxial combination of two materials with different crystal structures is found to be inherently accompanied by a strong intensity modulation of bulk diffraction patterns from inelastically scattered electrons, which impedes the observation of RHEED intensity oscillations. Avoiding such electron surface-wave resonance enhancement by de-tuning the RHEED geometry allows for the separate observation of the surface-diffracted specular RHEED signal and thus the real-time monitoring of sub-unit cell two-dimensional layer-by-layer growth. Since these challenges are essentially rooted in the difference between film and substrate crystal structure, our findings are of relevance for the growth of any heterostructure combining oxides with different crystal symmetry and may thus facilitate the search for novel oxide heterointerfaces.

• OSTI ID: 22412622
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 106; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
CRYSTALS
ELECTRON DIFFRACTION
ELECTRONS
ENERGY BEAM DEPOSITION
EPITAXY
LASER RADIATION
LAYERS
PEROVSKITE
PULSED IRRADIATION
REFLECTION
SPINELS
STRONTIUM TITANATES
SUBSTRATES
SURFACES
THIN FILMS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL SYSTEMS
WAVE PROPAGATION