  An experimental study was conducted on controlling the growth mode of
La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films on SrTiO3 substrates using pulsed laser deposition
(PLD) by tuning growth temperature, pressure and laser fluence. Different thin
film morphology, crystallinity and stoichiometry have been observed depending
on growth parameters. To understand the microscopic origin, the adatom
nucleation, step advance processes and their relationship to film growth were
theoretically analyzed and a growth diagram was constructed. Three boundaries
between highly and poorly crystallized growth, 2D and 3D growth, stoichiometric
and non-stoichiometric growth were identified in the growth diagram. A good fit
of our experimental observation with the growth diagram was found. This case
study demonstrates that a more comprehensive understanding of the growth mode
in PLD is possible.
