title: In situ investigation of the early stage of TiO2 epitaxy on (001) SrTiO3.
abstract: We report on a systematic study of the growth of epitaxial TiO(2) films deposited by pulsed laser deposition on Ti-terminated SrTiO(3) (001) single crystals. By using in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction, low energy electron diffraction, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and scanning probe microscopy, we show that the stabilization of the anatase (001) phase is preceded by the growth of a few nanometers thick pseudomorphic Sr(x)TiO(2+y) (x, y < 1) intermediate layer. The data demonstrate that the formation of this intermediate phase is related to the activation of a long range Sr migration from the SrTiO(3) substrate into the film. Our results enrich the phase diagram of the Sr-Ti-O system under epitaxial strain opening a route for the study of the electronic and dielectric properties of the reported Sr-deficient SrTiO(3) phase.
authors.affiliation: LSNS-EPFL, PH A2 354 (Bâtiment PH) Station 3 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. milan.radovic@psi.ch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radović
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salluzzo
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ristić
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Capua
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lampis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vaglio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miletto Granozio