Single-phase < 0001 > textured LiNbO3 films were grown by the radio-frequency magnetron sputtering method on Si substrates by using an Ar + O-2 gas environment. It was demonstrated that the presence of O atoms in the reactive chamber leads to a decline in concentration of the oxygen vacancies in the bulk of LiNbO3 films as well as in the barrier properties at the LiNbO3-Si interface and as a result, it affects the current-voltage and capacity-voltage characteristics significantly. All barrier parameters, such as barrier heights and conduction band offset of the Si-LiNbO3 heterojunction were derived by using the two double-depletion layer model. Remnant polarization of the LiNbO3 films (P-r = 69 mu Q/cm(2)) is close to one for bulk material regardless of the presence of O atoms in the reactive chamber in contrary to the coercive field that declined from E-c = 39 kV/cm (Ar environment) to E-c = 27 kV/cm (Ar + O-2 gas mixture). (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.