Orientation of MgO Thin Films on Si(100) and GaAs(100) Prepared by Electron-Beam Evaporation

Abstract
MgO thin films were prepared on Si(100) and GaAs(100) by electron-beam evaporation. MgO thin films with (100) orientation were obtained at 610°C with the deposition rate of 0.5 Å/s, and those with (111) orientation were obtained below 440°C with deposition rate higher than 8 Å/s, on Si substrates. (100) oriented MgO thin films, however, grew on Si at 440°C upon decreasing the deposition rate to 0.3 Å/s. MgO thin films with (100) orientation having cube-on-cube epitaxy were obtained on GaAs substrates at the temperature as low as 280°C even at the deposition rate of 1.4 Å/s.