An emergent change of phase for electronics

Charge-Transfer-Induced Interfacial Ferromagnetism in Ferromagnet-Free Oxide Heterostructures

Due to the strong interlayer coupling between multiple degrees of freedom, oxide heterostructures have demonstrated exotic properties that are not shown by their bulk counterparts. One of the most interesting properties is ferromagnetism at the interface formed between "nonferromagnetic" compounds. Here we report on the interfacial ferromagnetic phase induced in the superlattices consisting of the two paramagnetic oxides CaRuO3 (CRO) and LaNiO3 (LNO). By varying the sublayer thickness in the superlattice period, we demonstrate that the ferromagnetic order has been established in both CaRuO3 and LaNiO3 sublayers, exhibiting an identical Curie temperature of ∼75 K. The X-ray absorption spectra suggest a strong charge transfer from Ru to Ni at the interface, triggering superexchange interactions between Ru/Ni ions and giving rise to the emergent ferromagnetic phase. Moreover, the X-ray linear dichroism spectra reveal the preferential occupancy of the d3z2-r2 orbital for the Ru ions and the dx2-y2 orbital for the Ni ions in the heterostructure. This leads to different magnetic anisotropy of the superlattices when they are dominated by CRO or LNO sublayers. This work clearly demonstrates a charge-transfer-induced interfacial ferromagnetic phase in the whole ferromagnet-free oxide heterostructures, offering a feasible way to tailor oxide materials for desired functionalities.

Layered Ferromagnetic Structure Caused by the Proximity Effect and Interlayer Charge Transfer for LaNiO3/LaMnO3 Superlattices

Magnetic proximity-induced magnetism in paramagnetic LaNiO3 (LNO) has spurred intensive investigations in the past decade. However, no consensus has been reached so far regarding the magnetic order in LNO layers in relevant heterostructures. This paper reports a layered ferromagnetic structure for the (111)-oriented LNO/LaMnO3 (LMO) superlattices. It is found that each period of the superlattice consisted of an insulating LNO-interfacial phase (five unit cells in thickness, ∼1.1 nm), a metallic LNO-inner phase, a poorly conductive LMO-interfacial phase (three unit cells in thickness, ∼0.7 nm), and an insulating LMO-inner phase. All four of these phases are ferromagnetic, showing different magnetizations. The Mn-to-Ni interlayer charge transfer is responsible for the emergence of a layered magnetic structure, which may cause magnetic interaction across the LNO/LMO interface and double exchange within the LMO-interfacial layer. This work indicates that the proximity effect is an effective means of manipulating the magnetic state and associated properties of complex oxides.

Programmable Ferroelectricity in Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 Enabled by Oxygen Defect Engineering

Ferroelectricity, especially the Si-compatible type recently observed in hafnia-based materials, is technologically useful for modern memory and logic applications, but it is challenging to differentiate intrinsic ferroelectric polarization from the polar phase and oxygen vacancy. Here, we report electrically controllable ferroelectricity in a Hf0.5Zr0.5O2-based heterostructure with Sr-doped LaMnO3, a mixed ionic-electronic conductor, as an electrode. Electrically reversible extraction and insertion of an oxygen vacancy into Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 are macroscopically characterized and atomically imaged in situ. Utilizing this reversible process, we achieved multilevel polarization states modulated by the electric field. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of the mixed conductor to repair, create, manipulate, and utilize advanced ferroelectric functionality. Furthermore, the programmed ferroelectric heterostructures with Si-compatible doped hafnia are desirable for the development of future ferroelectric electronics.

Enhancing Interfacial Ferromagnetism and Magnetic Anisotropy of CaRuO3 /SrTiO3 Superlattices via Substrate Orientation

Artificial oxide heterostructures have provided promising platforms for the exploration of emergent quantum phases with extraordinary properties. One of the most interesting phenomena is the interfacial magnetism formed between two non-magnetic compounds. Here, a robust ferromagnetic phase emerged at the (111)-oriented heterointerface between paramagnetic CaRuO3 and diamagnetic SrTiO3 is reported. The Curie temperature is as high as ≈155 K and the saturation magnetization is as large as ≈1.3 µB per formula unit for the (111)-CaRuO3 /SrTiO3 superlattices, which are obviously superior to those of the (001)-oriented counterparts and are comparable to the typical itinerant ferromagnet SrRuO3 . A strong in-plane magnetic anisotropy with six-fold symmetry is further revealed by the anisotropic magnetoresistance measurements, presenting a large in-plane anisotropic field of 3.0-3.6 T. More importantly, the magnetic easy axis of the (111)-oriented superlattices can be effectively tuned from 〈11 2 ¯ $11\overline{2}$ 1〉 to 〈1 1 ¯ 0 $1 \bar{1}0$ 〉 directions by increasing the layer thickness of SrTiO3 . The findings demonstrate a feasible approach to enhance the interface coupling effect by varying the stacking orientation of oxide heterostructures. The tunable magnetic anisotropy also shows potential applications in low-power-consumption or exchange spring devices.

Large-Area Epitaxial Mott Insulating 1T-TaSe2 Monolayer on GaP(111)B

Two-dimensional Mott materials have recently been reported in the dichalcogenide family with high potential for Mottronic applications. Nevertheless, their widespread use as a single or few layers is hampered by their limited device integration resulting from their growth on graphene, a metallic substrate. Here, we report on the fabrication of 1T-TaSe2 monolayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on semiconducting gallium phosphide substrates. At the nanoscale, the charge density wave reconstruction and a moiré pattern resulting from the monolayer interaction with the substrate are observed by scanning tunneling microscopy. The fully open gap unveiled by tunneling spectroscopy, which can be further manipulated by the proximity of a metal tip, is confirmed by transport measurements from micrometric to millimetric scales, demonstrating a robust Mott insulating phase at up to 400 K.

Pattern Formation by Electric-Field Quench in a Mott Crystal

The control of the Mott phase is intertwined with the spatial reorganization of the electronic states. Out-of-equilibrium driving forces typically lead to electronic patterns that are absent at equilibrium, whose nature is however often elusive. Here, we unveil a nanoscale pattern formation in the Ca2RuO4 Mott insulator. We demonstrate how an applied electric field spatially reconstructs the insulating phase that, uniquely after switching off the electric field, exhibits nanoscale stripe domains. The stripe pattern has regions with inequivalent octahedral distortions that we directly observe through high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. The nanotexture depends on the orientation of the electric field; it is nonvolatile and rewritable. We theoretically simulate the charge and orbital reconstruction induced by a quench dynamics of the applied electric field providing clear-cut mechanisms for the stripe phase formation. Our results open the path for the design of nonvolatile electronics based on voltage-controlled nanometric phases.

Multilevel resistive switching memory in lead-free double perovskite La[Formula: see text]NiFeO[Formula: see text] films

Dense and flat La[Formula: see text]NiFeO[Formula: see text] (LNFO) films were fabricated on the indium tin oxide-coated glass (ITO/glass) substrate by sol-gel method. The bipolar resistive switching behavior (BRS) could be maintained in 100 cycles and remained after 30 days, indicating that the LNFO-based RS device owned good memory stability. Surprisingly, the multilevel RS characteristics were firstly observed in the Au/LNFO/ITO/glass device. The high resistance states (HRSs) and low resistance state (LRS) with the maximum ratio of [Formula: see text] 500 could be remained stably in 900 s and 130 cycles, demonstrating the fine retention and endurance ability of this LNFO-based RS device. The BRS behavior of Au/LNFO/ITO/glass devices primarily obeyed the SCLC mechanism controlled by oxygen vacancies (OVs) dispersed in the LNFO layer. Under the external electric field, injected electrons were captured or discharged by OVs during trapping or detrapping process in the LNFO layer. Thus, the resistive state switched between HRS and LRS reversibly. Moreover, the modulation of Schottky-like barrier formed at the Au/LNFO interface was contributed to the resistive states switchover. It was related to the change in OVs located at the dissipative region near the Au/LNFO interface. The multilevel RS ability of LNFO-based devices in this work provides an opportunity for researching deeply on the high density RS memory in lead-free double perovskite oxides-based devices.

Quantum Monte Carlo Method in the Steady State

We present a numerically exact steady-state inchworm Monte Carlo method for nonequilibrium quantum impurity models. Rather than propagating an initial state to long times, the method is directly formulated in the steady state. This eliminates any need to traverse the transient dynamics and grants access to a much larger range of parameter regimes at vastly reduced computational costs. We benchmark the method on equilibrium Green's functions of quantum dots in the noninteracting limit and in the unitary limit of the Kondo regime. We then consider correlated materials described with dynamical mean field theory and driven away from equilibrium by a bias voltage. We show that the response of a correlated material to a bias voltage differs qualitatively from the splitting of the Kondo resonance observed in bias-driven quantum dots.

Nonvolatile Control of Metal-Insulator Transition in VO2 by Ferroelectric Gating

Controlling phase transitions in correlated materials yields emergent functional properties, providing new aspects to future electronics and a fundamental understanding of condensed matter systems. With vanadium dioxide (VO₂ ), a representative correlated material, an approach to control a metal-insulator transition (MIT) behavior is developed by employing a heteroepitaxial structure with a ferroelectric BiFeO₃ (BFO) layer to modulate the interaction of correlated electrons. Owing to the defect-alleviated interfaces, the enhanced coupling between the correlated electrons and ferroelectric polarization is successfully demonstrated by showing a nonvolatile control of MIT of VO₂ at room temperature. The ferroelectrically-tunable MIT can be realized through the Mott transistor (VO₂ /BFO/SrRuO₃ ) with a remanent polarization of 80 µC cm^-2 , leading to a nonvolatile MIT behavior through the reversible electrical conductance with a large on/off ratio (≈10² ), long retention time (≈10⁴ s), and high endurance (≈10³ cycles). Furthermore, the structural phase transition of VO₂ is corroborated by ferroelectric polarization through in situ Raman mapping analysis. This study provides novel design principles for heteroepitaxial correlated materials and innovative insight to modulate multifunctional properties.

Combinatorial synthesis of heteroepitaxial, multi-cation, thin-films via pulsed laser deposition coupled with in-situ, chemical and structural characterization

Combinatorial synthesis via a continuous composition spread is an excellent route to develop thin-film libraries as it is both time- and cost-efficient. Creating libraries of functional, multicomponent, complex oxide films requires excellent control over the synthesis parameters combined with high-throughput analytical feedback. A reliable, high-throughput, in-situ characterization analysis method is required to meet the crucial need to rapidly screen materials libraries. Here, we report on the combination of two in-situ techniques—(a) Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) for heteroepitaxial characterization and a newly developed compositional analysis technique, low-angle x-ray spectroscopy (LAXS), to map the chemical composition profile of combinatorial heteroepitaxial complex oxide films deposited using a continuous composition spread method via pulsed laser deposition. This is accomplished using a unique state-of-the-art combinatorial growth system with a fully synchronized four-axis mechanical substrate stage without shadow masks, alternating acquisition of chemical compositional data using LAXS at various different positions on the $$\sim$$ ∼ 41 mm $$\times$$ × 41 mm range and sequential deposition of multilayers of SrTiO$$_3$$ 3 and $$\hbox {SrTi}_{0.8}\hbox {Ru}_{0.2}\hbox {O}_3$$ SrTi 0.8 Ru 0.2 O 3 on a 2-inch (50.8 mm) $$\hbox {LaAlO}_3$$ LaAlO 3 wafer in a single growth run. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) is used to calibrate and validate the compositions determined by LAXS. This study shows the feasibility of combinatorial synthesis of heteroepitaxial, functional complex oxide films at wafer-scale via two essential in-situ characterization tools—RHEED for structural analysis or heteroepitaxy and LAXS for compositional characterization. This is a powerful technique for development of new films with optimized heteroepitaxy and composition.

Resonant tunneling driven metal-insulator transition in double quantum-well structures of strongly correlated oxide

The metal-insulator transition (MIT), a fascinating phenomenon occurring in some strongly correlated materials, is of central interest in modern condensed-matter physics. Controlling the MIT by external stimuli is a key technological goal for applications in future electronic devices. However, the standard control by means of the field effect, which works extremely well for semiconductor transistors, faces severe difficulties when applied to the MIT. Hence, a radically different approach is needed. Here, we report an MIT induced by resonant tunneling (RT) in double quantum well (QW) structures of strongly correlated oxides. In our structures, two layers of the strongly correlated conductive oxide SrVO₃ (SVO) sandwich a barrier layer of the band insulator SrTiO₃. The top QW is a marginal Mott-insulating SVO layer, while the bottom QW is a metallic SVO layer. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments reveal that the top QW layer becomes metallized when the thickness of the tunneling barrier layer is reduced. An analysis based on band structure calculations indicates that RT between the quantized states of the double QW induces the MIT. Our work opens avenues for realizing the Mott-transistor based on the wave-function engineering of strongly correlated electrons.

Visualizing Spatial Evolution of Electron-Correlated Interface in Two-Dimensional Heterostructures

Microscopically visualizing the evolution of electronic structures at the interface between two electron-correlated domains shows fundamental importance in both material science and physics. Here, we report scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy studies of the interfacial electronic structures evolution in a phase-engineered monolayer NbSe₂ heterostructure. The H-NbSe₂ metallic state penetrates the Mott insulating T-NbSe₂ at the H/T phase interface, with a prominent 2D charge density wave (CDW) proximity effect. Moreover, an insulating Mott gap collapse with the disappearance of the upper Hubbard band is detected at the electronic phase transition region. Theoretical calculations reveal that such insulating Mott gap collapse can be attributed to the electron doping effect induced by the interface. Our findings promote a microscopical understanding of the interactions between different electron-correlated systems and provide an effective method for controlling the Mott insulating states with phase engineering.

Observation of metallic electronic structure in a single-atomic-layer oxide

Correlated electrons in transition metal oxides exhibit a variety of emergent phases. When transition metal oxides are confined to a single-atomic-layer thickness, experiments so far have shown that they usually lose diverse properties and become insulators. In an attempt to extend the range of electronic phases of the single-atomic-layer oxide, we search for a metallic phase in a monolayer-thick epitaxial SrRuO3 film. Combining atomic-scale epitaxy and angle-resolved photoemission measurements, we show that the monolayer SrRuO3 is a strongly correlated metal. Systematic investigation reveals that the interplay between dimensionality and electronic correlation makes the monolayer SrRuO3 an incoherent metal with orbital-selective correlation. Furthermore, the unique electronic phase of the monolayer SrRuO3 is found to be highly tunable, as charge modulation demonstrates an incoherent-to-coherent crossover of the two-dimensional metal. Our work emphasizes the potentially rich phases of single-atomic-layer oxides and provides a guide to the manipulation of their two-dimensional correlated electron systems.

Tailoring magnetism in spinel vanadate CoV2O4epitaxial thin films

Near itinerant cubic bulk CoV₂O₄is at variance with other spinel vanadates by not showing orbital ordering down to low temperature, albeit it displays fragile anomalies related to spin, and lattice structure, signaling a spin/orbital glass transition around 95 K. We investigate tetragonal-like epitaxial CoV₂O₄films on SrTiO₃and (La_0.3Sr_0.7)(Al_0.65Ta_0.35)O₃substrates that exhibit pronounced signature of spin reorientation transition from toa/bplane around 90 K unlike its bulk counterpart. Using in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic measurements, we demonstrate the intricate link between Co²⁺and V³⁺sublattice magnetizations that give rise to anisotropic magnetic switching. In-plane magnetic measurements reveal a wasp-waist shapedM(H) loop below reorientation transition temperature, while the out-of-plane follows antiferromagnet-likeM(H) response. The wasp-waist shaped feature could be linked to in-plane spin-canted (anti)ferromagnetism induced by canting away of V-spins away from antiferromagnetically coupled Co-spin direction below reorientation transition temperature. Further, we uncover the evidence for slow relaxation over a period of ∼10⁴ s at 20 K and memory effect that indicates the possible existence for magnetic glassy phase in the low temperature regime. Using epitaxial strain as a control knob, our results inspire future study to manipulate orbital states, spin texture and itinerant electron character in tailored CoV₂O₄films away from cubic lattice symmetry.

Fluorine-Induced Surface Metallization for Ammonia Synthesis under Photoexcitation up to 1550 nm

The first observation of surface metallization of TiO_2-x induced by fluoride ions is presented. The emerging metallic states are contributed by the 3d orbital of surface Ti and the 2p orbital of surface bridging F, which are intrinsically originated from the strong electron repulsion between F^- and adjacent Ti³⁺ . The metalized TiO_2-x with reduced work function and downward band bending possesses high electron-donating power to supported Ru species via atomic-scale ohmic contacts, exhibiting unprecedented photocatalytic performances for ammonia synthesis across the entire solar spectrum region (200-1550 nm) at room temperature. Mechanism and kinetic analysis revealed that the loaded Ru could behave as efficient electron sinks to accumulate photogenerated electrons and that the metallic surface markedly enhanced the dissociation of H₂ and N₂ by the hot electrons generated by the visible or even infrared light irradiation.

A Fast Route Towards Freestanding Single-Crystalline Oxide Thin Films by Using YBa2Cu3O7-x as a Sacrificial Layer

Researchers have long been seeking multifunctional materials that can be adopted for next-generation nanoelectronics, and which, hopefully, are compatible with current semiconductor processing for further integration. Along this vein, complex oxides have gained numerous attention due to their versatile functionalities. Despite the fact that unbounded potential of complex oxides has been examined over the past years, one of the major challenges lies in the direct integration of these functional oxides onto existing devices or targeted substrates that are inherently incompatible in terms of oxide growth. To fulfill this goal, freestanding processes have been proposed, in which wet etching of inserted sacrificial layers is regarded as one of the most efficient ways to obtain epitaxial high-quality thin films. In this study, we propose using an alternative oxide, YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YCBO), as a sacrificial layer, which can be easily dissolved in light hydrochloric acid in a more efficient way, while protecting selected complex oxides intact. The high epitaxial quality of the selected complex oxide before and after freestanding process using YBCO as a sacrificial layer is comprehensively studied via a combination of atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and electrical transports. This approach enables direct integration of complex oxides with arbitrary substrates and devices and is expected to offer a faster route towards the development of low-dimensional quantum materials.

Tuning proton-coupled electron transfer by crystal orientation for efficient water oxidization on double perovskite oxides

Developing highly efficient and cost-effective oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is critical for many energy devices. While regulating the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) process via introducing additive into the system has been reported effective in promoting OER activity, controlling the PCET process by tuning the intrinsic material properties remains a challenging task. In this work, we take double perovskite oxide PrBa_0.5Sr_0.5Co_1.5Fe_0.5O_5+δ (PBSCF) as a model system to demonstrate enhancing OER activity through the promotion of PCET by tuning the crystal orientation and correlated proton diffusion. OER kinetics on PBSCF thin films with (100), (110), and (111) orientation, deposited on single crystal LaAlO₃ substrates, were investigated using electrochemical measurements, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and synchrotron-based near ambient X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results clearly show that the OER activity and the ease of deprotonation depend on orientation and follow the order of (100) > (110) > (111). Correlated with OER activity, proton diffusion is found to be the fastest in the (100) film, followed by (110) and (111) films. Our results point out a way of boosting PCET and OER activity, which can also be successfully applied to a wide range of crucial applications in green energy and environment.

Yang-Mills structure for electron-phonon interactions in vanadium dioxide

This work presents a method of grouping the electron spinors and the phonon modes of metal oxide crystals such as vanadium dioxide into an SU(2) gauge theory. The gauge "charge" is the electron spin, which is assumed to couple to the transverse acoustic phonons on the basis of spin ordering phenomena in [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text], while the longitudinal mode is neutral. A generalization of the Peierls Mechanism is presented based on the discrete gauge invariance of crystals and the corresponding Ward-Takahashi identity. The introduction of a band index results in violation of this discrete Ward-Takahashi identity for interband transitions, resulting in scattering from the longitudinal component. Thus both the spinors and the bosons acquire mass and an electronic band gap and optical phonon modes result: a symmetry-breaking metal-insulator transition, which can manifest concurrent spin-ordering.

Topotactic Phase Transition Driving Memristive Behavior

Redox-based memristive devices are one of the most attractive candidates for future nonvolatile memory applications and neuromorphic circuits, and their performance is determined by redox processes and the corresponding oxygen-ion dynamics. In this regard, brownmillerite SrFeO_2.5 has been recently introduced as a novel material platform due to its exceptional oxygen-ion transport properties for resistive-switching memory devices. However, the underlying redox processes that give rise to resistive switching remain poorly understood. By using X-ray absorption spectromicroscopy, it is demonstrated that the reversible redox-based topotactic phase transition between the insulating brownmillerite phase, SrFeO_2.5 , and the conductive perovskite phase, SrFeO₃ , gives rise to the resistive-switching properties of SrFeO_x memristive devices. Furthermore, it is found that the electric-field-induced phase transition spreads over a large area in (001) oriented SrFeO_2.5 devices, where oxygen vacancy channels are ordered along the in-plane direction of the device. In contrast, (111)-grown SrFeO_2.5 devices with out-of-plane oriented oxygen vacancy channels, reaching from the bottom to the top electrode, show a localized phase transition. These findings provide detailed insight into the resistive-switching mechanism in SrFeO_x -based memristive devices within the framework of metal-insulator topotactic phase transitions.

Large Scale Synthesis of Nanopyramidal-Like VO₂ Films by an Oxygen-Assisted Etching Growth Method with Significantly Enhanced Field Emission Properties

The present investigation reported on a novel oxygen-assisted etching growth method that can directly transform wafer-scale plain VO₂ thin films into pyramidal-like VO₂ nanostructures with highly improved field-emission properties. The oxygen applied during annealing played a key role in the formation of the special pyramidal-like structures by introducing thin oxygen-rich transition layers on the top surfaces of the VO₂ crystals. An etching related growth and transformation mechanism for the synthesis of nanopyramidal films was proposed. Structural characterizations confirmed the formation of a composite VO₂ structure of monoclinic M1 (P21/c) and Mott insulating M2 (C2/m) phases for the films at room temperature. Moreover, by varying the oxygen concentration, the nanocrystal morphology of the VO₂ films could be tuned, ranging over pyramidal, dot, and/or twin structures. These nanopyramidal VO₂ films showed potential benefits for application such as temperature-regulated field emission devices. For one typical sample deposited on a 3-inch silicon substrate, its emission current (measured at 6 V/μm) increased by about 1000 times after the oxygen-etching treatment, and the field enhancement factor β reached as high as 3810 and 1620 for the M and R states, respectively. The simple method reported in the present study may provide a protocol for building a variety of large interesting surfaces for VO₂-based device applications.

Cross-Correlation between Strain, Ferroelectricity, and Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Multiferroic CoFe2O4/BaTiO3 Heterostructures

Multiferroic biphase systems with robust ferromagnetic and ferroelectric response at room temperature would be ideally suitable for voltage-controlled nonvolatile memories. Understanding the role of strain and charges at interfaces is central for an accurate control of the ferroelectricity as well as of the ferromagnetism. In this paper, we probe the relationship between the strain and the ferromagnetic/ferroelectric properties in the layered CoFe₂O₄/BaTiO₃ (CFO/BTO) model system. For this purpose, ultrathin epitaxial bilayers, ranging from highly strained to fully relaxed, were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Nb:SrTiO₃(001). The lattice characteristics, determined by X-ray diffraction, evidence a non-intuitive cross-correlation: the strain in the bottom BTO layer depends on the thickness of the top CFO layer and vice versa. Plastic deformation participates in the relaxation process through dislocations at both interfaces, revealed by electron microscopy. Importantly, the switching of the BTO ferroelectric polarization, probed by piezoresponse force microscopy, is found dependent on the CFO thickness: the larger is the latter, the easiest is the BTO switching. In the thinnest thickness regime, the tetragonality of BTO and CFO has a strong impact on the 3d electronic levels of the different cations, which were probed by X-ray linear dichroism. The quantitative determination of the nature and repartition of the magnetic ions in CFO, as well as of their magnetic moments, has been carried out by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, with the support of multiplet calculations. While bulklike ferrimagnetism is found for 5-15 nm thick CFO layers with a magnetization resulting as expected from the Co²⁺ ions alone, important changes occur at the interface with BTO over a thickness of 2-3 nm because of the formation of Fe²⁺ and Co³⁺ ions. This oxidoreduction process at the interface has strong implications concerning the mechanisms of polarity compensation and coupling in multiferroic heterostructures.

Surface Electronic States Induced High Terahertz Conductivity of Co3O4 Microhollow Structure

Herein, we report the observation of unusual electronic and magnetic phases in traditional antiferromagnetic Co₃O₄ micromaterials and modulation of their properties on a temperature scale. In particular, we demonstrate a comparative low-energy carrier dynamics of Co₃O₄ microflower and microhollow flower (MHF) structures of same average size of 2 μm to unravel the ground-state information induced by surface electronics across the insulator-semiconductor transition using terahertz (THz) time domain spectroscopy. Interestingly, the THz optical constants of these structures are found to exhibit remarkably distinct features both as a function of frequency and temperature. Detailed study reveals that the partial metallization through large two-dimensional surface electronic states of MHF structure enables to achieve significantly higher carrier dynamics in contrast to its wide-band-gap solid counterparts and the magnetic measurements reconfirm the presence of these surface states by indicating ferromagnetism in Co₃O₄ MHF structures. Moreover, the simultaneous existence of insulator-semiconductor and antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic transitions near the Néel temperature points out the significant role of magnetically active Co²⁺ ions at the tetrahedral site of Co₃O₄ normal spinel structure in determining the conduction dynamics instead of 3d band related to Co³⁺ ions at octahedral site. Finally, we demonstrate that the continuous modulation of temperature-controlled charge transport coupled with intrinsic phase transition in Co₃O₄ microstructures has the potential to design efficient analog-like THz modulator, filter, and sensor. We believe that these outcomes can stimulate new opportunities toward next-generation caloritronics-based ultrafast energy-efficient transition-metal oxide electronics having both economic and environmental significance.

Magnetic field control of charge excitations in CoFe2O4

We combine magnetic circular dichroism and photoconductivity with prior optical absorption and first principles calculations to unravel spin-charge interactions in the high Curie temperature magnet CoFe2O4. In addition to revising the bandgap hierarchy, we reveal a broad set of charge transfer excitations in the spin down channel which are sensitive to the metamagnetic transition involving the spin state on Co centers. We also show photoconductivity that depends on an applied magnetic field. These findings open the door for the creation and control of spin-polarized electronic excitations from the minority channel charge transfer in spinel ferrites and other earth-abundant materials.

Tailoring Materials for Mottronics: Excess Oxygen Doping of a Prototypical Mott Insulator

The Mott transistor is a paradigm for a new class of electronic devices-often referred to by the term Mottronics-which are based on charge correlations between the electrons. Since correlation-induced insulating phases of most oxide compounds are usually very robust, new methods have to be developed to push such materials right to the boundary to the metallic phase in order to enable the metal-insulator transition to be switched by electric gating. Here, it is demonstrated that thin films of the prototypical Mott insulator LaTiO₃ grown by pulsed laser deposition under oxygen atmosphere are readily tuned by excess oxygen doping across the line of the band-filling controlled Mott transition in the electronic phase diagram. The detected insulator to metal transition is characterized by a strong change in resistivity of several orders of magnitude. The use of suitable substrates and capping layers to inhibit oxygen diffusion facilitates full control of the oxygen content and renders the films stable against exposure to ambient conditions. These achievements represent a significant advancement in control and tuning of the electronic properties of LaTiO_3+x thin films making it a promising channel material in future Mottronic devices.

Microstructural, Magnetic, and Optical Properties of Pr-Doped Perovskite Manganite La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 Nanoparticles Synthesized via Sol-Gel Process

We report on microstructural, magnetic, and optical properties of Pr-doped perovskite manganite (La_1 - xPr_x)_0.67Ca_0.33MnO₃ (LPCMO, x = 0.0-0.5) nanoparticles synthesized via sol-gel process. Structural characterizations (X-ray and electron diffraction patterns, (high resolution) TEM images) provide information regarding the phase formation and the single-crystalline nature of the LPCMO systems. X-ray and electron diffraction patterns reveal that all the LPCMO samples crystallize in perovskite crystallography with an orthorhombic structure (Pnma space group), where the MnO₆ octahedron is elongated along the b axis due to the Jahn-Teller effect. That is confirmed by Raman spectra. Crystallite sizes and grain sizes were calculated from XRD and TEM respectively, and the lattice fringes resolved in the high-resolution TEM images of individual LPCMO nanoparticle confirmed its single-crystalline nature. FTIR spectra identify the characteristic Mn-O bond stretching vibration mode near 600 cm^- 1, which shifts towards high wavenumbers with increasing post-annealing temperature or Pr-doping concentration, resulting in further distortion of the MnO₆ octahedron. XPS revealed dual oxidation states of Mn³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ in the LPCMO nanoparticles. UV-vis absorption spectra confirm the semiconducting nature of the LPCMO nanoparticles with optical bandgaps of 2.55-2.71 eV. Magnetic measurements as a function of temperature and magnetic field at field cooling and zero-field cooling modes, provided a Curie temperature around 230 K, saturation magnetization of about 81 emu/g, and coercive field of 390 Oe at 10 K. Such magnetic properties and the semiconducting nature of the LPCMO nanoparticles will make them as suitable candidate for magnetic semiconductor spintronics.

Ambiguous Role of Growth-Induced Defects on the Semiconductor-to-Metal Characteristics in Epitaxial VO2/TiO2 Thin Films

Controlling the semiconductor-to-metal transition temperature in epitaxial VO₂ thin films remains an unresolved question both at the fundamental as well as the application level. Within the scope of this work, the effects of growth temperature on the structure, chemical composition, interface coherency and electrical characteristics of rutile VO₂ epitaxial thin films grown on TiO₂ substrates are investigated. It is hereby deduced that the transition temperature is lower than the bulk value of 340 K. However, it is found to approach this value as a function of increased growth temperature even though it is accompanied by a contraction along the V⁴⁺-V⁴⁺ bond direction, the crystallographic c-axis lattice parameter. Additionally, it is demonstrated that films grown at low substrate temperatures exhibit a relaxed state and a strongly reduced transition temperature. It is suggested that, besides thermal and epitaxial strain, growth-induced defects may strongly affect the electronic phase transition. The results of this work reveal the difficulty in extracting the intrinsic material response to strain, when the exact contribution of all strain sources cannot be effectively determined. The findings also bear implications on the limitations in obtaining the recently predicted novel semi-Dirac point phase in VO₂/TiO₂ multilayer structures.

Temperature dependence of long coherence times of oxide charge qubits

The ability to maintain coherence and control in a qubit is a major requirement for quantum computation. We show theoretically that long coherence times can be achieved at easily accessible temperatures (such as boiling point of liquid helium) in small (i.e., ~10 nanometers) charge qubits of oxide double quantum dots when only optical phonons are the source of decoherence. In the regime of strong electron-phonon coupling and in the non-adiabatic region, we employ a duality transformation to make the problem tractable and analyze the dynamics through a non-Markovian quantum master equation. We find that the system decoheres after a long time, despite the fact that no energy is exchanged with the bath. Detuning the dots to a fraction of the optical phonon energy, increasing the electron-phonon coupling, reducing the adiabaticity, or decreasing the temperature enhances the coherence time.

Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS)-Assisted Synthesis and Thermoelectric Characterization of Magnéli Phase V6O11

The Magnéli phase V₆O₁₁ was synthesized in gram amounts from a powder mixture of V₆O₁₁/V₇O₁₃ and vanadium metal, using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. Its structure was determined with synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data from a phase-pure sample synthesized by conventional solid-state synthesis. A special feature of Magnéli-type oxides is a combination of crystallographic shear and intrinsic disorder that leads to relatively low lattice thermal conductivities. SPS prepared V₆O₁₁ has a relatively low thermal conductivity of κ = 2.72 ± 0.06 W (m K)^-1 while being a n-type conductor with an electrical conductivity of σ = 0.039 ± 0.005 (μΩ m)^-1, a Seebeck coefficient of α = -(35 ± 2) μV K^-1, which leads to a power factor of PF = 4.9 ± 0.8 × 10^-5W (m K²)^-1 at ∼600 K. Advances in the application of Magnéli phases are mostly hindered by synthetic and processing challenges, especially when metastable and nanostructured materials such as V₆O₁₁ are involved. This study gives insight into the complications of SPS-assisted synthesis of complex oxide materials, provides new information about the thermal and electrical properties of vanadium oxides at high temperatures, and supports the concept of reducing the thermal conductivity of materials with structural building blocks such as crystallographic shear (CS) planes.

Building Complex Kondo Impurities by Manipulating Entangled Spin Chains

The creation of molecule-like structures in which magnetic atoms interact controllably is full of potential for the study of complex or strongly correlated systems. Here, we create spin chains in which a strongly correlated Kondo state emerges from magnetic coupling of transition-metal atoms. We build chains up to ten atoms in length by placing Fe and Mn atoms on a Cu₂N surface with a scanning tunneling microscope. The atoms couple antiferromagnetically via superexchange interaction through the nitrogen atom network of the surface. The emergent Kondo resonance is spatially distributed along the chain. Its strength can be controlled by mixing atoms of different transition metal elements and manipulating their spatial distribution. We show that the Kondo screening of the full chain by the electrons of the nonmagnetic substrate depends on the interatomic entanglement of the spins in the chain, demonstrating the prerequisites to build and probe spatially extended strongly correlated nanostructures.

Interface-induced multiferroism by design in complex oxide superlattices

Interfaces between materials present unique opportunities for the discovery of intriguing quantum phenomena. Here, we explore the possibility that, in the case of superlattices, if one of the layers is made ultrathin, unexpected properties can be induced between the two bracketing interfaces. We pursue this objective by combining advanced growth and characterization techniques with theoretical calculations. Using prototype La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ (LSMO)/BaTiO₃ (BTO) superlattices, we observe a structural evolution in the LSMO layers as a function of thickness. Atomic-resolution EM and spectroscopy reveal an unusual polar structure phase in ultrathin LSMO at a critical thickness caused by interfacing with the adjacent BTO layers, which is confirmed by first principles calculations. Most important is the fact that this polar phase is accompanied by reemergent ferromagnetism, making this system a potential candidate for ultrathin ferroelectrics with ferromagnetic ordering. Monte Carlo simulations illustrate the important role of spin-lattice coupling in LSMO. These results open up a conceptually intriguing recipe for developing functional ultrathin materials via interface-induced spin-lattice coupling.

Study of entropic characteristics of strongly correlated systems using VO2 as a model case

To explain the huge caloric effects often observed in the first-order electronic phase transition in the strongly correlated oxides, the entropic characteristics are investigated in VO₂. By evaluating the spin and charge fluctuations based on the local moment model and the Sommerfeld coefficient in the high-temperature rutile phase, it is found that these fluctuations of the high-temperature phase are the main source of the entropic change during the transition. This mode of entropic change is realized by the quenching of these fluctuations owing to the formation of a singlet bonding state in the low-temperature monoclinic phase. By introducing oxygen deficiency, a vagueness in the gap at the Fermi level is confirmed by the transport data, the X-ray photoelectron spectra and also the electronic structure calculated by the first-principles calculations. In this case, the entropic feature at the transition is weakened. Consequently, the large caloric phenomena of the strongly correlated oxides are a result of the conversion of the internal energy gain owing to the orbital selection at the ground state into the free energy gain owing to the spin and charge fluctuations at finite temperature.

A Metal-Insulator Transition of the Buried MnO2 Monolayer in Complex Oxide Heterostructure

A novel artificially created MnO₂ monolayer system is demonstrated in atomically controlled epitaxial perovskite heterostructures. With careful design of different electrostatic boundary conditions, a magnetic transition as well as a metal-insulator transition of the MnO₂ monolayer is unveiled, providing a fundamental understanding of dimensionality-confined strongly correlated electron systems and a direction to design new electronic devices.

Field-Driven Mott Gap Collapse and Resistive Switch in Correlated Insulators

Mott insulators are "unsuccessful metals" in which Coulomb repulsion prevents charge conduction despite a metal-like concentration of conduction electrons. The possibility to unlock the frozen carriers with an electric field offers tantalizing prospects of realizing new Mott-based microelectronic devices. Here we unveil how such unlocking happens in a simple model that shows the coexistence of a stable Mott insulator and a metastable metal. Considering a slab subject to a linear potential drop, we find, by means of the dynamical mean-field theory, that the electric breakdown of the Mott insulator occurs via a first-order insulator-to-metal transition characterized by an abrupt gap collapse in sharp contrast to the standard Zener breakdown. The switch on of conduction is due to the field-driven stabilization of the metastable metallic phase. Outside the region of insulator-metal coexistence, the electric breakdown occurs through a more conventional quantum tunneling across the Hubbard bands tilted by the field. Our findings rationalize recent experimental observations and may offer a guideline for future technological research.

Artificial atoms based on correlated materials

Low-dimensional electron systems fabricated from quantum matter have in recent years become available and are being explored with great intensity. This article gives an overview of the fundamental properties of such systems and summarizes the state of the field. We furthermore present and consider the concept of artificial atoms fabricated from quantum materials, anticipating remarkable scientific advances and possibly important applications of this new field of research. The surprising properties of these artificial atoms and of molecules or even of solids assembled from them are presented and discussed.

The flux dynamics behavior of the two competing high temperature superconducting phases in underdoped LaCuO4.06

In complex transition metal oxides (TMO) an arrested electronic phase separation (PS) appears by tuning the system near a Lifshitz transition in multiband Hubbard models. The PS in La2CuO4+y near insulator to metal transition (IMT) is made of short range Charge Density Wave (CDW) order inhomogeneity coexisting with quenched lattice disorder. While at high doping y = 0.1 percolation gives a single superconducting phase, near the IMT at y = 0.06 two coexisting superconducting phases appear: the first one with a critical temperature Tc1 = 16 K and the second one with Tc2 = 29 K. It is known that the two superconducting phases are characterized by two different space geometry because of two different spatial distributions of both CDW order and dopants self-organization. Here we show that these two phases show different flux dynamic regimes using alternating current (AC) multi-harmonic susceptibility experiments. This is a unique technique capable to investigate multi-phase superconductors and characterize their transport properties in a percolative scenario. Results point out that the low critical temperature phase is well described by a bulk-like flux pinning with a 2D geometry while the phase with higher critical temperature shows a 'barrier pinning' mechanism providing direct evidence of two different superconducting vortex dynamics in different complex geometrical spaces.

Tuning the magnetic properties of self-assembled BiFeO3-CoFe2O4 heteroepitaxy by magneto-structural coupling

Magnetic and multiferroic nanocomposites with two distinct phases have been a topic of intense research for their profound potential applications in the field of spintronics. In addition to growing high-quality phase separated heteroepitaxial nanocomposites, the strain engineering that is conducive to enhance the tunability of material properties, in general, and the magnetic properties, in particular, is of utmost importance in exploring new possibilities. Here, we investigated the magneto-structural coupling between antiferromagnetic BiFeO3 (BFO) and ferrimagnetic CoFe2O4 (CFO) in self-assembled vertically aligned nanocomposites grown on LaAlO3 (LAO) and SrTiO3 (STO) substrates. We found that BFO exhibits tetragonal (T) and rhombohedral (R) structures as the stable phases and CFO has high magnetocrystalline anisotropy even in the form of nanocomposites. The temperature and magnetic field dependent magnetizations of T_BFO-CFO/LAO and R_BFO-CFO/STO nanocomposites primarily demonstrate the magnetoelastic coupling between these variants.

Thermal stability of 2DEG at amorphous LaAlO3/crystalline SrTiO3 heterointerfaces

At present, the generation of heterostructures with two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in amorphous LaAlO3 (a-LAO)/SrTiO3 (STO) has been achieved. Herein, we analysed thermal stability of 2DEG at a-LAO/STO interfaces in comparison with 2DEG at crystalline LaAlO3 (c-LAO)/STO interfaces. To create 2DEG at LAO/STO interface, regardless of growing temperature from 25 to 700 °C, we found that environment with oxygen deficient during the deposition of LAO overlayer is essentially required. That indicates that the oxygen-poor condition in the system is more essential than the crystalline nature of LAO layer. 2DEG at a-LAO/STO interface is depleted upon ex situ annealing at 300 °C under 300 Torr of oxygen pressure, while that in c-LAO/STO interface is still maintained. Our result suggests that the LAO overlayer crystallinity critically affects the thermal-annealing-induced depletion of 2DEG at a-LAO/STO interface rather than the generation of 2DEG. We clearly provide that amorphous TiOx can efficiently prevent the thermal degradation of 2DEG at the a-LAO/STO interface, which gives a cornerstone for achieving thermal-stable 2DEG at a-LAO/STO interface.

Phase transitions via selective elemental vacancy engineering in complex oxide thin films

Defect engineering has brought about a unique level of control for Si-based semiconductors, leading to the optimization of various opto-electronic properties and devices. With regard to perovskite transition metal oxides, O vacancies have been a key ingredient in defect engineering, as they play a central role in determining the crystal field and consequent electronic structure, leading to important electronic and magnetic phase transitions. Therefore, experimental approaches toward understanding the role of defects in complex oxides have been largely limited to controlling O vacancies. In this study, we report on the selective formation of different types of elemental vacancies and their individual roles in determining the atomic and electronic structures of perovskite SrTiO3 (STO) homoepitaxial thin films fabricated by pulsed laser epitaxy. Structural and electronic transitions have been achieved via selective control of the Sr and O vacancy concentrations, respectively, indicating a decoupling between the two phase transitions. In particular, O vacancies were responsible for metal-insulator transitions, but did not influence the Sr vacancy induced cubic-to-tetragonal structural transition in epitaxial STO thin film. The independent control of multiple phase transitions in complex oxides by exploiting selective vacancy engineering opens up an unprecedented opportunity toward understanding and customizing complex oxide thin films.

Universal Fabrication of 2D Electron Systems in Functional Oxides

2D electron systems (2DESs) in functional oxides are promising for applications, but their fabrication and use, essentially limited to SrTiO3 -based heterostructures, are hampered by the need for growing complex oxide overlayers thicker than 2 nm using evolved techniques. It is demonstrated that thermal deposition of a monolayer of an elementary reducing agent suffices to create 2DESs in numerous oxides.

Control of the Metal-Insulator Transition at Complex Oxide Heterointerfaces through Visible Light

The coupling of the localized surface plasmon resonance of Au nanoparticles is utilized to deliver a visible-light stimulus to control conduction at the LaAlO3 /SrTiO3 interface. A giant photoresponse and the controllable metal-insulator transition are characterized at this heterointerface. This study paves a new route to optical control of the functionality at the heterointerfaces.

Layer-Resolved Cation Diffusion and Stoichiometry at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterointerface Probed by X-ray Photoemission Experiments and Site Occupancy Modeling

The layer-resolved cation occupancy for different conducting and insulating interfaces of LaAlO3 (LAO) thin films on SrTiO3 (STO) has been determined by angle-resoled X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS). Three STO interfaces with LAO have been considered, namely, a conducting interface with a 5 unit cell (u.c.) LAO layer, an insulating interface with a 5 u.c. LAO layer, and an insulating interface with a 3 u.c. LAO layer. Considering inelastic and elastic scattering processes in the transport approximation, the core-level signal attenuation has been modeled on the basis of Monte Carlo calculations of the electron trajectories across the heterostructures. Different effects involving cation stoichiometry and diffusion through the interface have been considered to interpret data. Beyond a mere abrupt interface modeling, the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterojunction is shown to host cation diffusion processes within 3-4 unit cells in the bulk layer, along with a clear Sr substoichiometry, an issue so far virtually neglected in the analysis of these systems. The present results show the capability of the AR-XPS modeling to explore element-sensitive properties at the oxide interfaces, matching and completing the information that can be provided by probes based on electron microscopy or X-ray scattering.

Observation of a two-dimensional liquid of Fröhlich polarons at the bare SrTiO3 surface

The polaron is a quasi-particle formed by a conduction electron (or hole) together with its self-induced polarization in a polar semiconductor or an ionic crystal. Among various polarizable examples of complex oxides, strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) is one of the most studied. Here we examine the carrier type and the interplay of inner degrees of freedom (for example, charge, lattice, orbital) in SrTiO₃. We report the experimental observation of Fröhlich polarons, or large polarons, at the bare SrTiO₃ surface prepared by vacuum annealing. Systematic analyses of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectra show that these Fröhlich polarons are two-dimensional and only exist with inversion symmetry breaking by two-dimensional oxygen vacancies. Our discovery provides a rare solvable field theoretical model, and suggests the relevance of large (bi)polarons for superconductivity in perovskite oxides, as well as in high-temperature superconductors.

A polaron is a quasiparticle formed through the strong interaction between an electron and the ions in a crystalline solid. Here, the authors observe Fröhlich polarons, formed by the coupling of electrons and long-wavelength optical phonons, in strontium titanate.

Wafer-scale growth of VO2 thin films using a combinatorial approach

Transition metal oxides offer functional properties beyond conventional semiconductors. Bridging the gap between the fundamental research frontier in oxide electronics and their realization in commercial devices demands a wafer-scale growth approach for high-quality transition metal oxide thin films. Such a method requires excellent control over the transition metal valence state to avoid performance deterioration, which has been proved challenging. Here we present a scalable growth approach that enables a precise valence state control. By creating an oxygen activity gradient across the wafer, a continuous valence state library is established to directly identify the optimal growth condition. Single-crystalline VO₂ thin films have been grown on wafer scale, exhibiting more than four orders of magnitude change in resistivity across the metal-to-insulator transition. It is demonstrated that ‘electronic grade' transition metal oxide films can be realized on a large scale using a combinatorial growth approach, which can be extended to other multivalent oxide systems.

Precise valence state control to avoid performance deterioration in transition metal oxide films has proved challenging. Here, the authors establish a combinatorial approach to create a valence state library of VO₂, allowing for the growth of wafer size VO₂ thin films.

X-Ray Spectroscopy of Ultra-Thin Oxide/Oxide Heteroepitaxial Films: A Case Study of Single-Nanometer VO2/TiO2

Epitaxial ultra-thin oxide films can support large percent level strains well beyond their bulk counterparts, thereby enabling strain-engineering in oxides that can tailor various phenomena. At these reduced dimensions (typically < 10 nm), contributions from the substrate can dwarf the signal from the epilayer, making it difficult to distinguish the properties of the epilayer from the bulk. This is especially true for oxide on oxide systems. Here, we have employed a combination of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and angular soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study epitaxial VO₂/TiO₂ (100) films ranging from 7.5 to 1 nm. We observe a low-temperature (300 K) insulating phase with evidence of vanadium-vanadium (V-V) dimers and a high-temperature (400 K) metallic phase absent of V-V dimers irrespective of film thickness. Our results confirm that the metal insulator transition can exist at atomic dimensions and that biaxial strain can still be used to control the temperature of its transition when the interfaces are atomically sharp. More generally, our case study highlights the benefits of using non-destructive XAS and HAXPES to extract out information regarding the interfacial quality of the epilayers and spectroscopic signatures associated with exotic phenomena at these dimensions.

Origin of the Anomalous Mass Renormalization in Metallic Quantum Well States of Strongly Correlated Oxide SrVO_{3}

In situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been performed on SrVO_{3} ultrathin films, which show metallic quantum well (QW) states, to unveil the origin of the anomalous mass enhancement in the QW subbands. The line-shape analysis of the ARPES spectra reveals that the strength of the electron correlation increases as the subband bottom energy approaches the Fermi level. These results indicate that the anomalous subband-dependent mass enhancement mainly arises from the quasi-one-dimensional character of confined V 3d states as a result of their orbital-selective quantization.