Synthesized via a modified Verneuil process patented in 1953 (and found naturally in Siberia in 1982 as tausonite), cubic SrTiO3 has a refractive index (2.41) matching diamond with 4.3 times diamond's optical dispersion.
Quantum fluctuations prevent it from completing a ferroelectric transition near absolute zero (a quantum paraelectric with ε_r ~ 10⁴), while electron-doped SrTiO3 was the first oxide insulator found to superconduct (below 0.35 K in 1967).
Its 3.905 Å cubic perovskite lattice parameter makes single-crystal SrTiO3 the standard epitaxial growth substrate for YBCO high-temperature superconductors and LaAlO3/SrTiO3 2D electron-gas interfaces.