Growth Mode Transition in Complex Oxide Heteroepitaxy: Atomically Resolved Studies

• Published in: Crystal growth & design Vol. 16; no. 5; pp. 2708 - 2716
• Main Authors: Tselev, Alexander, Vasudevan, Rama K, Gianfrancesco, Anthony G, Qiao, Liang, Meyer, Tricia L, Lee, Ho Nyung, Biegalski, Michael D, Baddorf, Arthur P, Kalinin, Sergei V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 04.05.2016
• Subjects: epitaxial thin film; Growth mechanisms; Manganites; MATERIALS SCIENCE; pulsed laser deposition; Scanning Tunelling Microscopy
• ISSN: 1528-7483; 1528-7505
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.5b01826

We performed investigations of the atomic-scale surface structure of epitaxial La5/8Ca3/8MnO3 thin films as a model system dependent on growth conditions in pulsed laser deposition with emphasis on film growth kinetics. Postdeposition in situ scanning tunneling microscopy was combined with in operando reflective high-energy electron diffraction to monitor the film growth and ex situ X-ray diffraction for structural analysis. We find a correlation between the out-of-plane lattice parameter and both adspecies mobility and height of the Ehrlich–Schwoebel barrier, with mobility of adatoms greater over the cationically stoichiometric terminations. The data suggest that the out-of-plane lattice parameter is dependent on the mechanism of epitaxial strain relaxation, which is controlled by the oxidative power of the deposition environment.