Influence of substrate orientation on epitaxial growth of the ferromagnetic silicide Fe3Si on Si was investigated using low temperature (60-300 degrees C) molecular beam epitaxy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements revealed that Fe3Si layers were epitaxially grown on Si (110) and Si(111), while random poly-crystal Fe3Si layers were formed on Si(100). From the Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy measurements, the values of the chi(min) of the Fe3Si layers grown at 60 degrees C on Si(100), Si(110), and Si(111) were evaluated to be 100%, 97%,and 41%, respectively. This dependence on the substrate orientation was explained on the basis of the atomic alignments at the Fe3Si/Si interfaces. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.