Suresh’s paper on in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of SrTiO3 films grown by hybrid MBE has been published in the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A as an Editor’s Pick! This is the first (but not last) paper to report in situ studies of films grown by the novel hybrid MBE method that has been developed for more than a decade. Our unique lab setup was designed specifically to perform this type of work. The article appears in the Special Collection honoring Dr. Comes’ post-doctoral advisor Scott Chambers, who is a leader in in situ XPS, making it particularly appropriate.
Our results show that Sr adatoms on the film surface catalyze the decomposition of the titanium tetraisopropoxide precursor that delivers the titanium cations. Films grown within the stoichiometric growth window have greater than expected concentrations of Sr on the surface, suggesting a partial or complete SrO termination. We collaborated with Prof. Wencan Jin and Dr. Jerzy Sadowski to perform low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) measurements on films and with Prof. Petra Reinke and Devin Jessup of the University of Virginia to perform scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) on a sample.
These results are part of our ongoing effort to push hybrid MBE into a new regime that enables interfacial studies with different B site cations. Watch for more results over the next year!