Quasi-single-crystal (001) SrTiO3 templates on Si

The integration of multifunctional oxides on semiconductor devices requires the formation of single-crystal-like oxide templates directly on silicon. We report the fabrication of quasi-single-crystal (001) SrTiO3 templates on (001) Si by annealing 100 nm thick molecular beam epitaxy-grown epitaxial SrTiO3 films at 900 degrees C. The full width at half maximum of the (002) rocking curve is 0.006 degrees, which is much narrower than SrTiO3 bulk single crystals. An atomically smooth TiO2-terminated surface is obtained by buffered-HF etching, which allows us to create functional oxide heterointerfaces on Si. Epitaxial SrRuO3 thin films grown on the quasi-single-crystal SrTiO3 template exhibit a superior crystalline quality and surface morphology.