Valence band offset of ZnO/SrTiO3 heterojunction measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to measure the valence band offset (VBO) of the ZnO/SrTiO3 heterojunction. It is found that a type-II band alignment forms at the interface. The VBO and conduction band offset (CBO) are determined to be 0.62 ± 0.23 and 0.79 ± 0.23 eV, respectively. The directly obtained VBO value is in good agreement with the result of theoretical calculations based on the interface-induced gap states and the chemical electronegativity theory. Furthermore, the CBO value is also consistent with the electrical transport investigations.