Thin single-crystal Sc2O3 films epitaxially grown on Si (111)-structure and electrical properties

Single-crystal single-domain Sc2O3 films have been epitaxially grown on Si (111) using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) techniques. The Sc2O3 films have the bulk bixbyite cubic phase with a very uniform thickness, a structural perfection, and a sharp interface with Si. The thin oxide films exhibit bright, streaky, and reconstructed RHEED patterns. The high-intensity oscillation in the reflectivity, the strong Pendollusung fringes around the Sc2O3 (222) diffraction peak, and their narrow rocking curves are observed using the high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD). The (111) axis of the oxide films is parallel to the (111) axis of the Si substrate. The cone scans of the Sc2O3 {440} and Si {220} diffraction peaks about the surface normal find a 60 deg symmetry rotation of the film with the respect to the substrate. The Sc2O3 films exhibit low electrical leakage currents and a breakdown field of more than 5MV/cm.