Ferroelectric distortion in SrTiO3 thin films on Si(001) by x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy:: Experiment and first-principles calculations

Ti K and Ti L-2,L-3 x-ray absorption fine-structure near-edge spectra of SrTiO3 thin films grown coherently on Si(001) reveal the presence of a ferroelectric (FE) distortion at room temperature. This unique phase is a direct consequence of the compressive biaxial strain achieved by coherent epitaxial growth.