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Updated: May 22, 2026

Atomically Defined Templates for Epitaxial Growth of Complex Oxide Thin Films
Published on: December 4, 2014
The memory of surfaces: epitaxial growth on quasi-crystals
R McGrath1, H R Sharma, J A Smerdon
1Surface Science Research Centre and Department of Physics, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK. mcgrath@liv.ac.uk
Abstract:
If crystal structures can be viewed as repositories of information, then crystal surfaces offer a pathway by which this information can be used to grow new structures through the process of epitaxy. The information transfer process is one of self-organization, and the kinetic and energetic factors influencing this are complex. They include the relative strengths of the adsorbate-adsorbate and adsorbate-substrate interactions, the flux of incoming species and the temperature of the system. In this brief review, we explore how the interplay of these factors influences the degree to which the epitaxial structures retain the 'memory' of the template, illustrating the discussion with examples from epitaxy on quasi-crystal surfaces.
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