Crystalline magnesium oxide (MgO) (1 1 1), 20 A thick, was grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on hydrogen cleaned hexagonal silicon carbide (6H-SiC). The films were further heated to 740 degrees C and 650 degrees C under different oxygen environments in order to simulate processing conditions for subsequent functional oxide growth. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness and stability of crystalline MgO films and the MgO/6H-SiC interface for subsequent heteroepitaxial deposition of multi-component, functional oxides by MBE or pulsed laser deposition processes. The stability of the MgO films and the MgO/6H-SiC interface was found to be dependent on substrate temperature and the presence of atomic oxygen. The MgO films and the MgO/6H-SiC interface are stable at temperatures up to 740 degrees C at 1.0 x 10(-9) Torr for extended periods of time. While at temperatures below 400 degrees C exposure to the presence of active oxygen for extended periods of time has negligible impact, exposure to the presence of active oxygen for more than 5 min at 650 degrees C will degrade the MgO/6H-SiC interface. Concurrent etching and interface breakdown mechanisms are hypothesized to explain the observed effects. Further, barium titanate was deposited by MBE on bare 6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) and MgO(1 1 1)/6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the MgO as a heteroepitaxial template layer for perovskite ferroelectrics. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.