We have shown that condensed multilayer films of titanium isopropoxide [Ti(-OC3H7)(4)] on cold GaAs(001) substrates are easily converted to nonvolatile titanium oxide deposits by exposure to a 10 keV electron beam. Using spatially resolved Auger electron spectroscopy, we have measured the initial kinetics of this electron beam induced decomposition reaction and have found it to be zeroth order (in precursor concentration) with an extremely high zeroth-order reaction cross section of (1.5 +/- 0.6) x 10(-14) cm(2)/electron. Consequently. exposures as low as 23 mu C/cm(2) result in titanium oxide films with thicknesses on the order of 5 Angstrom. Moreover, the remaining unexposed precursor simply desorbs upon annealing to room temperature, ensuring selective area oxide deposition. The etch resistance of these titanium oxide patterns were characterized by etching in Cl-2 at a substrate temperature of 250 degrees C. We found that exposures above 23 mu C/cm(2) produce robust, etch resistant oxide films which result in efficient pattern transfer to the underlying GaAs(001) substrate by etching. Moreover, clear undercut- and V-etch profiles were observed in the orthogonal [011] and [01 (1) over bar] directions, respectively, characteristic of a crystallographic etch mechanism on the GaAs(001) surface.