LaAlO3 (LAO) is explored in this work to replace SiO2 as the gate dielectric material in metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor. Amorphous LAO gate dielectric films were deposited on Si (0 0 1) substrates by low pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using La(dpm)(3) and AI(acac)(3) sources. The effect of processing parameters such as deposition temperature and precursor vapor flux on growth, structure, morphology, and composition of LAO films has been investigated by various analytical methods deeply. The film growth mechanism on Si is reaction limiting instead of mass transport control. The reaction is thermally activated with activation energy of similar to 37 kJ/mol. In the initial growth stage, Al element is deficient due to higher nucleation barrier on Si. The LAO films show a smooth surface and good thermal stability and remain amorphous up to a high temperature of 850 degrees C. The electrical properties of amorphous LAO ultrathin films on Si have also been evaluated, indicating LAO is suitable for high k gate dielectric applications. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.