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Fuentes V, Balcells L, Konstantinović Z, Martínez B, Pomar A. Evaluation of Sputtering Processes in Strontium Iridate Thin Films. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 14:242. [PMID: 38334512 PMCID: PMC10856326 DOI: 10.3390/nano14030242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
The growth of epitaxial thin films from the Ruddlesden-Popper series of strontium iridates by magnetron sputtering is analyzed. It was found that, even using a non-stoichiometric target, the films formed under various conditions were consistently of the perovskite-like n = ∞ SrIrO3 phase, with no evidence of other RP series phases. A detailed inspection of the temperature-oxygen phase diagram underscored that kinetics mechanisms prevail over thermodynamics considerations. The analysis of the angular distribution of sputtered iridium and strontium species indicated clearly different spatial distribution patterns. Additionally, significant backsputtering was detected at elevated temperatures. Thus, it is assumed that the interplay between these two kinetic phenomena is at the origin of the preferential nucleation of the SrIrO3 phase. In addition, strategies for controlling cation stoichiometry off-axis have also been explored. Finally, the long-term stability of the films has been demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor Fuentes
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus Universitario UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; (V.F.); (L.B.); (B.M.)
| | - Lluis Balcells
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus Universitario UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; (V.F.); (L.B.); (B.M.)
| | - Zorica Konstantinović
- Center for Solid State Physics and New Materials, Institute of Physics Belgrade, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Benjamín Martínez
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus Universitario UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; (V.F.); (L.B.); (B.M.)
| | - Alberto Pomar
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus Universitario UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; (V.F.); (L.B.); (B.M.)
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Zhang Q, Shi S, Zheng Z, Zhou H, Shao DF, Zhao T, Su H, Liu L, Shu X, Jia L, Gu Y, Xiao R, Wang G, Zhao C, Li H, Chen J. Highly Energy-Efficient Spin Current Generation in SrIrO 3 by Manipulating the Octahedral Rotation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:1129-1136. [PMID: 38118124 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c15514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Materials with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) have been continuously attracting intensive attention due to their promising application in energy-efficient, high-density, and nonvolatile spintronic devices. Particularly, transition-metal perovskite oxides with strong SOC have been demonstrated to exhibit efficient charge-spin interconversion. In this study, we systematically investigated the impact of epitaxial strain on the spin-orbit torque (SOT) efficiency in the SrIrO3(SIO)/Ni81Fe19(Py) bilayer. The results reveal that the SOT efficiency is strongly related to the octahedral rotation around the in-plane axes of the single-crystal SIO. By modulating the epitaxial strain using different substrates, the SOT efficiency can be remarkably improved from 0.15 to 1.45. This 10-fold enhancement of SOT efficiency suggests that modulating the epitaxial strain is an efficient approach to control the SOT efficiency in complex oxide-based heterostructures. Our work may have the potential to advance the application of complex oxides in energy-efficient spintronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qihan Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
| | - Shu Shi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
| | - Zhenyi Zheng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
| | - Hengan Zhou
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
| | - Ding-Fu Shao
- Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Tieyang Zhao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
| | - Hanxin Su
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
| | - Liang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xinyu Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics and Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Lanxin Jia
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
| | - Youdi Gu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
| | - Rui Xiao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
| | - Guilei Wang
- Beijing Superstring Academy of Memory Technology, Beijing 100176, China
| | - Chao Zhao
- Beijing Superstring Academy of Memory Technology, Beijing 100176, China
| | - Huihui Li
- Beijing Superstring Academy of Memory Technology, Beijing 100176, China
| | - Jingsheng Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore
- Chongqing Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Chongqing 401120, China
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