Pulsed laser deposition of epitaxial BeO thin films on sapphire and SrTiO3

Epitaxial beryllia thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on Al2O3(001) and SrTiO3(111) substrates. Nearly relaxed epitaxial films were obtained on both substrates at growth temperatures of up to about 600 °C. Crystalline films with expanded lattice parameters were obtained even at room temperature. The maximum growth temperature was limited by a loss of beryllium from the film surface. The volatility of beryllium appeared to be caused by the slow oxidation kinetics at the film surface and the re-sputtering effect of high-energy Be and BeO species in the ablation plume. Time-of-flight plume composition analysis suggested that the target surface became Be metal rich at low oxygen pressures, reducing the growth rate of beryllia films.