title: Recent advances in pulsed-laser deposition of complex oxides.
abstract: Pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) is one of the most promising techniques for the formation of complex-oxide heterostructures, superlattices, and well controlled interfaces. The first part of this paper presents a review of several useful modifications of the process, including methods inspired by combinatorial approaches. We then discuss detailed growth kinetics results, which illustrate that 'true' layer-by-layer (LBL) growth can only be approached, not fully met, even though many characterization techniques reveal interfaces with unexpected sharpness. Time-resolved surface x-ray diffraction measurements show that crystallization and the majority of interlayer mass transport occur on timescales that are comparable to those of the plume/substrate interaction, providing direct experimental evidence that a growth regime exists in which non-thermal processes dominate PLD. This understanding shows how kinetic growth manipulation can bring PLD closer to ideal LBL than any other growth method available today.
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Christen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eres