  We have succeeded in growing epitaxial and highly stoichiometric films of EuO
on yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia (YSZ) (001). The use of the Eu-distillation
process during the molecular beam epitaxy assisted growth enables the
consistent achievement of stoichiometry. We have also succeeded in growing the
films in a layer-by-layer fashion by fine tuning the Eu vs. oxygen deposition
rates. The initial stages of growth involve the limited supply of oxygen from
the YSZ substrate, but the EuO stoichiometry can still be well maintained. The
films grown were sufficiently smooth so that the capping with a thin layer of
aluminum was leak tight and enabled ex situ experiments free from trivalent Eu
species. The findings were used to obtain recipes for better epitaxial growth
of EuO on MgO (001).
