Pulsed laser deposition chamber for in situ X-ray diffraction

A sample chamber has been constructed for studying the growth of thin films by pulsed laser deposition in situ with surface X-ray diffraction. The achievable temperature ranges from room temperature to 1073 K in a controlled oxygen environment. The partial pressure of the oxygen background gas covers the range from 0.1 to 10⁵ Pa. The first results, showing intensity oscillations in the diffracted signal during homoepitaxial deposition of SrTiO₃, are presented.