Role of steps on the microstructure of titanium-oxide films deposited by PLD onto (100) MgO surfaces

The phenomenon of graphoepitaxy, whereby island nucleation occurs preferentially at steps, is a prime example of a manner in which the substrate morphology (and notable surface steps) can affect the microstructure of as-deposited thin-films. This paper provides a further illustration of the fundamental importance of the substrates morphology to the development of thin-film microstructure, employing the example of TiO2 deposited by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) directly onto specially prepared (100) MgO TEM foils. The same areas of these foils are imaged booth before and after deposition.