Atomic layer controlled film growth is an important technological and scientific goal that is closely tied to many issues in surface chemistry. This article first reviews the basic concepts of atomic layer growth using molecular precursors and binary reaction sequence chemistry. Many examples are given for the various films that have been grown using this atomic layer growth technique. The paradigms for atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) and atomic layer processing (ALP) are then discussed in terms of self-limiting surface reactions. Recent investigations of the surface chemistry of SiO2 and Al2O3, ALP and GaAs ALE are examined and used to illustrate the possible mechanisms of atomic layer growth. Subsequently, the characteristics of film deposition using atomic layer growth techniques are explored using recent examples for Al2O3 ALP. The structure of the deposited films is also reviewed using results from previous Al2O3 deposition investigations. This article then concludes by discussing possible complications to studies of atomic layer controlled growth using binary reaction sequence chemistry.