Two-dimensional electron gas at LaAlO$_{3}$/ SrTiO$_{3}$ heterointerfaces grown on silicon

Reversible nanoscale control over the metal-insulator transition in a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), formed at the heterointerface between LaAlO$_{3}$ and SrTiO$_{3}$, raises the possibility to develop ultrahigh-density oxide nanoelectronics. Prerequisites to the development of new technologies are integration with existing electronics platforms and scaling to a commercially available large wafer process. Here, we demonstrate the viability of 2DEGs formed at LaAlO$_{3}$/SrTiO$_{3}$ heterointerfaces grown directly on Si. We observe 2DEG behavior only when growth of LaAlO$_{3}$ layer occurs on post-annealed TiO$_2$-terminated SrTiO$_{3}$ template on (001) Si substrate. The ability to form reversible conducting nanostructures below ~10 nm-scales highlights the viability of this materials synthesis route for commercial device applications. Atomic-scale control of the surfaces of quasi-single-crystal SrTiO$_{3}$ templates on Si substrates also inspires the development of new oxide electronics using novel interfacial phenomena.