Heteroepitaxial growth of LaAlO3 films on Si (100) by laser molecular beam epitaxy

The LaAlO3 films were grown epitaxially on Si (100) substrates by inserting SrO or SrTiO3 buffer layer using a computer-controlled laser molecular beam epitaxy system. Structural characterization indicated that the LaAlO3 films were two-dimensional layer-by-layer growth. The atomic force microscopy observations showed that the surfaces of the epitaxial LaAlO3 films were atomically smooth. The crystallinity of the LaAlO3 films determined by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy was a single-crystalline structure. After being annealed at 1050 degreesC in N-2 for 5 min, the crystallinity of the LaAlO3 film improved obviously. The successful LaAlO3/SrO/Si and LaAlO3/SrTiO3/Si epitaxial growth predicted that the possibility of the development of 3D heterostructrues on Si in a new generation of microelectronics devices. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.CrystallographyMaterials Science, MultidisciplinaryPhysics, AppliedSCI(E)EI21ARTICLE1-2165-17027