Epitaxial growth of (100)-oriented β-FeSi2 thin films on insulating substrates

Epitaxial beta-FeSi(2) thin films were grown on insulating substrates by rf magnetron sputtering. (100)-Oriented beta-FeSi(2) films were epitaxially grown on (100) yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and (001) Al(2)O(3) substrates. The epitaxial relationship of the beta-FeSi(2) film with the (100) YSZ substrate was the same as that with the (100) Si substrate. On the (001) Al(2)O(3) substrate, the epitxial film had a threefold symmetry domain structure, which has not been reported on a film grown on a Si substrate. Epitaxial growth of (100)-oriented beta-FeSi(2) film was affected by not only lattice mismatch but also atomic or ionic matching between beta-FeSi(2) and substrate and requires substrates consisting of either a single element or only cations.