In situ RHEED monitor of the growth of epitaxial anatase TiO2 thin films

Epitaxial anatase TiO2 thin films were successfully grown on (0 0 1) SrTiO3 substrates by the laser molecular-beam epitaxy (laser-MBE) method. The whole growth process is monitored by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). RHEED monitoring shows a transition from a streaky pattern to a spot pattern during deposition, indicating different growth modes of TiO2 film. The RHEED patterns are in consistent with the RHEED intensity oscillation results. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigation show that the thin films have single crystalline orientation with roughness less than three unit cells.