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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Within this study, a novel in-situ pretreatment is proposed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally, in which the formation of surface pits is subsequently stifled during thermal desorption. The proposed method involves fueling the well reviewed chemical oxide reduction reaction with a segregated source of material other than that ordinarily utilized in pit formation. The proposed method is implementable in virtually all deposition systems subject to the constraints of providing material deposition, substrate heating, and the creation of non-oxidizing environments either via vacuum or inert atmo sphere.