Growth mode mapping of SrTiO3 epitaxy

We have mapped the growth mode of homoepitaxial SrTiO3 thin films as a function of deposition rate and substrate temperature during pulsed laser deposition. The transition from layer by layer growth to step flow growth was mapped by making 260 depositions, 3 monolayers each, on a single substrate. The growth mode was determined by time-resolved reflection high-energy electron diffraction. An atomically smooth surface was regenerated after each deposition 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 energies of surface migration on Ti- and Sr-terminated surfaces were determined from the mapping results. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)02917-X].