Epitaxial growth and properties of thin film oxides

Oxide film growth by molecular beam epitaxy for the purpose of preparing metal oxides for surface science studies is discussed and reviewed. Critical issues such as the choice of oxidizing gas, the selection of substrates, crystal symmetry and lattice match, interface chemistry, and the relationship of these issues to the materials science of oxide-on-metal and oxide-on-oxide film growth are discussed. Recent work on the growth of select, representative oxides that span the ranges of crystal structure, metal oxidation state, and stoichiometry is reviewed and used to illustrate the basic materials science.