Work

Detachment-limited interlayer transport processes during SrTi O 3 pulsed laser epitaxy

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Pulsed laser epitaxial growth is characterized by high instantaneous deposition rates that lead to the nucleation of transient islands, both on surface terraces and on top of stable islands formed during previous deposition pulses. We report results from combined in x-ray reflectivity and kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations. Specular reflectivity monitors interlayer transport, while diffuse scattering reveals the evolution of in-plane length scales, both during the recovery time between individual laser pulses and over multiple deposited layers. The initial stage after each laser pulse is faster than the temporal resolution of the experiment, while subsequent recovery occurs over seconds. The results suggest that transient islands on top of stable two-dimensional islands form immediately after the deposition pulse and then ripen via detachment and diffusion, leading to the slower component. kMC simulations show that the detachment energy barrier plays a dominant role in determining the recovery time constant.

Source: Physical Review Materials

DOI: 10.1103/lbg7-5h8b

Authors: Jeffrey G. Ulbrandt, Xiaozhi Zhang, Randall L. Headrick

Institution: University of Vermont

Language: English

Topic: Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: National Science Foundation, Brookhaven National Laboratory

Awards: In-situ X-ray Scattering Studies of Oxide Epitaxial Growth Kinetics and Dynamics, G3262563802