Silicate-free growth of high-quality ultrathin cerium oxide films on Si(111)

Ultrathin Ce₂O₃ layers have been grown on Si(111) by reactive metal deposition in an oxygen background and characterized by x-ray standing waves, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and low-energy electron diffraction to elucidate and quantify both atomic structure and chemical composition. It is demonstrated that highly ordered, mostly B-oriented, epitaxial ceria films can be achieved by preadsorption of a monolayer of atomic chlorine, effectively passivating the substrate and thereby suppressing cerium silicate and silicon oxide formation at the interface.