Preparation of thermally stable TiO2-terminated SrTiO3(100) substrate surfaces

Abstract

We have examined the thermal stability of TiO2-terminated SrTiO3(100) surfaces obtained by buffered HF etching and widely used as substrates for oxide film growth. In situ coaxial impact-collision ion scattering spectroscopy was used to measure the composition of the terminating atomic layer at temperatures up to 1000°C, simulating a broad range of thin-film growth conditions. The TiO2 termination of a nonannealed but HF-etched surface was found to start collapsing at temperatures as low as 300°C regardless of atmosphere, showing thermal instability of the chemically cleaved surface. Here, we introduce an alternative way to prepare a stabilized SrTiO3 surface, which maintains a perfect TiO2 termination up to 700°C, ideal for the growth of atomically sharp oxide heterointerfaces.