  Atomically-abrupt interfaces in transition metal oxide (TMO) heterostructures
could host a variety of exotic condensed matter phases that may not be found in
the bulk materials at equilibrium. A critical step in the development of such
atomically-sharp interfaces is the deposition of atomically-smooth TMO thin
films. Optimized deposition conditions exist for the growth of perovskite
oxides. However, the deposition of rutile oxides, such as VO$_2$, with
atomic-layer precision has been challenging. In this work, we used pulsed laser
deposition (PLD) to grow atomically-smooth VO$_2$ thin films on rutile TiO$_2$
(101) substrates. We show that optimal substrate preparation procedure followed
by the deposition of VO$_2$ films at a temperature conducive for step-flow
growth mode is essential for achieving atomically-smooth VO$_2$ films. The
films deposited at optimal substrate temperatures show a step and terrace
structure of the underlying TiO$_2$ substrate. At lower deposition
temperatures, there is a transition to a mixed growth mode comprising of island
growth and layer-by-layer growth modes. VO$_2$ films deposited at optimal
substrate temperatures undergo a metal to insulator transition at a transition
temperature of $\sim$325 K with $\sim$10$^3$ times increase in resistance, akin
to MIT in bulk VO$_2$.
