Layer-by-layer growth of MgO thin films controlled by inserting a TiN seed layer using an in-situ pulsed laser deposition

Completely (200)-oriented MgO films were grown on Si(100) with insertion of a TiN seed layer by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Compared with the conventional direct ablation of a metal Mg or ceramic MgO target, we successfully demonstrated an effective way to improve the crystallinity of MgO thin films. By using TiN as a seed layer, high-quality MgO films with an atomic-scale smooth surface of about 0.55 nm (Ra) were obtained. Moreover, it is found that the quality of MgO films was independent of the thickness of the TiN seed layer. The improved crystalline quality of the MgO films was attributed to the layer-by-layer growth mode during the deposition of MgO films, which was monitored in-situ by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED).