Imaging pulsed laser deposition growth of homo-epitaxial SrTiO₃ by low-energy electron microscopy

By combining low-energy electron microscopy with in situ pulsed laser deposition we have developed a new technique for film growth analysis, making use of both diffraction and real-space information. Working at the growth temperature, we can use: the intensity and profile variations of the specular beam to follow the coverage in a layer-by-layer fashion; real-space microscopy to follow e.g. atomic steps at the surface; and electron reflectivity to probe the unoccupied band structure of the grown material. Here, we demonstrate our methodology for homo-epitaxial growth of SrTiO₃. Interestingly, the same combination of techniques will also be applicable to hetero-epitaxial oxide growth, largely extending the scope of research possibilities.