Universal Interface between Functional Oxides and Silicon
Dmitry V. Averyanov, Ivan S. Sokolov, Igor A. Karateev, Alexander N. Taldenkov, Oleg E. Parfenov, Andrey M. Tokmachev, Vyacheslav G. Storchak
Abstract
Abstract Integration of crystalline oxides with silicon provides a versatile platform to extend and advance silicon technology. The interface between oxide and Si controls the structure and functional properties of the resulting material. In particular, the formation of a submonolayer metal phase on silicon is the standard approach to stabilize the epitaxial growth of oxides. However, fundamental questions—a) whether the interface transforms in the process of the synthesis; and b) if it is possible to control the interface and its electronic structure by varying the submonolayer template—remain unanswered. The present study employs MBE synthesis of EuO and SrO on Si(001) to demonstrate that the structure of the oxide/Si interface does not depend on the type of the template, its symmetry, and stoichiometry. Chemical transformations of the templates converging into the same 2D product are detected in situ by electron diffraction. Then, the common interfacial structure of 1D periodicity is visualized by high‐resolution electron microscopy. The study provides insights into the process of oxide integration with silicon but also sets the limits in designing oxide/Si interfaces.