Multi-domained heteroepitaxial rutile-phase TiO2 (100)-oriented films were grown on Si (10 0) substrates by using a 30-nm-thick BaF2 (111) buffer layer at the TiO2-Si interface. The 50nm TiO2 films were grown by electron cyclotron resonance oxygen plasma-assisted electron beam evaporation of a titanium source, and the growth temperature was varied from 300 to 600 degrees C. At an optimal temperature of 500 degrees C, X-ray diffraction measurements show that rutile phase TiO2 films are produced. Pole figure analysis indicates that the TiO2 layer follows the symmetry of the BaF2 Surface mesh, and consists of six (10 0)-oriented domains separated by 30 degrees in-plane rotations about the TiO2 [100] axis. The in-plane alignment between the TiO2 and BaF2 films is oriented as [001] TiO, parallel to BaF2 [10 (1) over bar] or [001] TiO2 parallel to BaF2 [11 (2) over bar]. Rocking curve and STM analyses suggest that the TiO2 films are more finely grained than the BaF2 film. STM films imaging also reveals that the TiO2 surface has morphological features consistent with the BaF2 surface mesh symmetry. One of the optimally grown TiO2 (100) films was used to template a CrO2 (100) film which was grown via chemical vapor deposition. Point contact Andreev reflection measurements indicate that the CrO2 film was approximately 70% spin polarized. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.