Micromachined SrTiO3 single crystals as dielectrics for electrostatic doping of thin films

Single crystal substrates of SrTiO3 have been micromachined locally on their back faces to thicknesses between 10 and 100 mum using a mechanical abrasive technique. Subsequently, the growth surface has been treated to obtain atomically smooth unit cell terraces, suitable for high quality interfaces. Using a capacitor geometry, surface charge densities suitable for electrostatic doping of films have been obtained at the lowest temperatures, and the off-diagonal component of strain due to the applied electric field has been measured. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.