The growth of subnanometer silicon overlayers on TiO2 (1 1 0)-(1 x 2) reconstructed surfaces at room temperature (RT) has been studied by X-ray and ultra-violet photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS and UPS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). For Si coverage of 1 monolayer (ML) only Si2+ species were detected on top of a further reduced TiO2 surface. Upon Si coverage, the characteristic (1 x 2) LEED pattern from the substrate is completely attenuated, indicating absence of long-range order. Therefore, the combination of all the above mentioned techniques, indicates that the Si overlayer consists of a smooth and homogeneous Si oxide layer on a reduced TiO2 surface. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.