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Detachment-limited interlayer transport processes during SrTiO3 pulsed laser epitaxy

Jeffrey G. Ulbrandt, Xiaozhi Zhang*, and Randall L. Headrick†

  • Department of Physics and Materials Science Program, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, USA

  • *Present address: X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA.
  • †Contact author: rheadrick@uvm.edu
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Phys. Rev. Materials 9, 103405 – Published 29 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lbg7-5h8b

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 situ 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.

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Phys. Rev. Materials 9, 103405– Published 29 October, 2025
  • Received 11 July 2025
  • Accepted 25 September 2025
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