Two-dimensional growth of lattice matched Nd-doped (Gd,Lu)2 O3 films on Y2 O3 by pulsed laser deposition

This letter focuses on epitaxial growth of a 1-μm -thick lattice matched Nd-doped monocrystalline (Gd,Lu)2 O3 film deposited on a {100} oriented Y2 O3 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.