Adsorption-controlled growth of EuO by molecular-beam epitaxy

Using molecular-beam epitaxy, we demonstrate the adsorption-controlled growth of epitaxial EuO films on single crystalline (110) YAlO(3) substrates. Four-circle x-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals phase-pure, epitaxial, (001)-oriented films with rocking curve full width at half maxima as narrow as 34 arc sec (0.0097 degrees). The critical thickness for the onset of relaxation of (001) EuO on (110) YAlO(3) (similar to 2% lattice mismatch) was determined from XRD measurements to be 382 +/- 25 angstrom. A saturation magnetization of 6.96 +/- 0.07 mu(B)/Eu, a value close to the theoretical limit of 7 mu(B)/Eu, is observed. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.