Growth and microstructure of MgO thin films on Si 100/ substrates by metal–organic molecular beam epitaxy

MgO thin films have been grown on Si 100.substrates at low temperatures of 500–8508C by metal–organic molecular beam epitaxy MOMBE.using the solid precursor magnesium acetylacetonate. Oxygen plasma is required to achieve deposition. The composition of the films was determined by Auger electron spectroscopy AES.. The as-deposited films are phase-pure, stoichiometric, crystalline MgO with aw100xtexture. Carbon contamination of the film resulting from precursor decomposition was not observed within detection limits. The deposition rate depended superlinearly on the plasma source power. q2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved