Layer-by-layer growth of TiN by pulsed laser deposition on in-situ annealed (100) MgO substrates.

We have grown atomically smooth heteroepitaxial TiN thin films on (100) MgO single crystals by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). To generate optimal conditions for two-dimensional growth of TiN on MgO, the substrates were annealed in-situ using a CO2 laser heater. The MgO surface is smooth and uniformly stepped with a terrace height of half a unit cell; a value of 0.21 nm was measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). In-situ RHEED oscillations during deposition of TiN indicate two-dimensional growth mode up to a film thickness of about 43 nm. This is confirmed by AFM. The TiN films show smooth, stepped surfaces with a uniform terrace height of 0.211 nm. X-ray diffraction measurements indicate a high film quality, as well. High resolution scans feature intensity fringes around the (200) TiN peak, indicating an abrupt interface between MgO and TiN. On asymmetric reciprocal space maps the peak broadening only in [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]