Two-dimensional growth of lattice matched Nd-doped ( Gd , Lu ) 2 O 3 filmson Y 2 O 3 by pulsed laser deposition

This letter focuses on epitaxial growth of a 1 - μ m -thick lattice matched Nd-doped monocrystalline ( Gd , Lu ) 2 O 3 film deposited on a {100} oriented Y 2 O 3 substrate by pulsed laser deposition. Layer-by-layer growth indicated by in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction was observed up to film thicknesses of 100 nm . The subsequent growth behavior could be explained by a multilevel growth mode. Thus, the growth mode was two-dimensional and epitaxial. Lattice matching of up to 99.3% was achieved. The evolution of the structural and topographical properties of the films was verified by ex situ x-ray diffraction analysis and atomic force microscopy, respectively.