Hopping Transport in SrTiO3/Nd1-xTiO3/SrTiO3 Heterostructures

Electronic transport near the insulator-metal transition is investigated in the molecular beam epitaxy-grown SrTiO3/Nd1-xTiO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures using temperature dependent magnetotransport measurements. It was found that Nd-vacancies introduce localized electronic states resulting in the variable range hopping transport at low temperatures. At a fixed Nd-vacancies concentration, a crossover from Mott to Efros-Shklovskii (ES) variable range hopping transport was observed with decreasing temperature. With increasing disorder, a sign reversal of magnetoresistance from positive to negative was observed revealing interplay between intra-state interaction and the energy dependence of the localization length as a function of disorder. These findings highlight the important role of stoichiometry when exploring intrinsic effect using heterostructure and interfaces in addition to offering broad opportunity to tailor low temperature transport using non-stoichiometry defects

Band alignment of epitaxial SrTiO3 thin films with (LaAlO3)0.3-(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 (001)

SrTiO$_{3}$ (STO) epitaxial thin films and heterostructures are of considerable interest due to the wide range of functionalities they exhibit. The alloy perovskite (LaAlO$_{3}$)$_{0.3}$-(Sr$_{2}$AlTaO$_{6}$)$_{0.7}$ (LSAT) is commonly used as a substrate for these material structures due to its structural compatibility with STO and the strain-induced ferroelectric response in STO films grown on LSAT. However, surprisingly little is known about the electronic properties of the STO/LSAT interface despite its potentially important role in affecting the overall electronic structure of system. We examine the band alignment of STO/LSAT heterostructures using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for epitaxial STO films deposited using two different molecular beam epitaxy approaches. We find that the valence band offset ranges from +0.2(1) eV to -0.2(1) eV depending on the film surface termination. From these results we extract a conduction band offset from -2.4(1) eV to -2.8(1) eV, indicating that the conduction band edge is more deeply bound in STO and that LSAT will not act as a sink or trap for electrons in the supported film or multilayer.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures; Accepted in Applied Physics Letter

Unraveling the Effect of Electron-Electron Interaction on Electronic Transport in High-Mobility Stannate Films

Contrary to the common belief that electron-electron interaction (EEI) should be negligible in s-orbital-based conductors, we demonstrated that the EEI effect could play a significant role on electronic transport leading to the misinterpretation of the Hall data. We show that the EEI effect is primarily responsible for an increase in the Hall coefficient in the La-doped SrSnO3 films below 50 K accompanied by an increase in the sheet resistance. The quantitative analysis of the magnetoresistance (MR) data yielded a large phase coherence length of electrons exceeding 450 nm at 1.8 K and revealed the electron-electron interaction being accountable for breaking of electron phase coherency in La-doped SrSnO3 films. These results while providing critical insights into the fundamental transport behavior in doped stannates also indicate the potential applications of stannates in quantum coherent electronic devices owing to their large phase coherence length.Comment: 3 figure

Ferromagnetism and spin-dependent transport at a complex oxide interface

Complex oxide interfaces are a promising platform for studying a wide array of correlated electron phenomena in low-dimensions, including magnetism and superconductivity. The microscopic origin of these phenomena in complex oxide interfaces remains an open question. Here we investigate for the first time the magnetic properties of semi-insulating NdTiO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ (NTO/STO) interfaces and present the first milli-Kelvin study of NTO/STO. The magnetoresistance (MR) reveals signatures of local ferromagnetic order and of spin-dependent thermally-activated transport, which are described quantitatively by a simple phenomenological model. We discuss possible origins of the interfacial ferromagnetism. In addition, the MR also shows transient hysteretic features on a timescale of ~10-100 seconds. We demonstrate that these are consistent with an extrinsic magneto-thermal origin, which may have been misinterpreted in previous reports of magnetism in STO-based oxide interfaces. The existence of these two MR regimes (steady-state and transient) highlights the importance of time-dependent measurements for distinguishing signatures of ferromagnetism from other effects that can produce hysteresis at low temperatures

A New Line Defect in NdTiO3 Perovskite

Perovskite oxides form an eclectic class of materials owing to their structural flexibility in accommodating cations of different sizes and valences. They host well known point and planar defects, but so far no line defect has been identified other than dislocations. Using analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and ab initio calculations we have detected and characterized the atomic and electronic structures of a novel line defect in NdTiO3 perovskite. It appears in STEM images as a perovskite cell rotated by 45 degrees. It consists of self-organized Ti-O vacancy lines replaced by Nd columns surrounding a central Ti-O octahedral chain containing Ti4+ ions, as opposed to Ti3+ in the host. The distinct Ti valence in this line defect introduces the possibility of engineering exotic conducting properties in a single preferred direction and tailoring novel desirable functionalities in this Mott insulator.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure

Dopant Solubility, and Charge Compensation in La-doped SrSnO3 Films

We investigate lanthanum (La) as an n-type dopant in the strain-stabilized tetragonal phase of SrSnO3 grown on GdScO3 (110) using a radical-based hybrid molecular beam epitaxy approach. Fully coherent, epitaxial films with atomically smooth film surface were obtained irrespective of doping density. By combining secondary ion mass spectroscopy and Hall measurements, we demonstrate that each La atom contributes to one electron to the film confirming it occupies Sr-site in SrSnO3 and that it is completely activated. Carrier density exceeding 1 x 10^20 cm-3 was achieved in LSSO films, which is in excellent agreement with the dopant-solubility limit predicted by the density functional theory calculations. A record-high room-temperature mobility of 70 cm2V-1s-1 at 1 x 10^20 cm-3 was obtained in 12 nm La-doped SrSnO3 film making this the thinnest perovskite oxide semiconductor with a reasonably high electron mobility at room temperature. We discuss the structure-dopant-transport property relationships providing essential knowledge for the design of electronic devices using these materials.Comment: 3 figure

Effects of paramagnetic pair-breaking and spin-orbital coupling on multi-band superconductivity

The BCS picture of superconductivity describes pairing between electrons originating from a single band. A generalization of this picture occurs in multi-band superconductors, where electrons from two or more bands contribute to superconductivity. The contributions of the different bands can result in an overall enhancement of the critical field and can lead to qualitative changes in the temperature dependence of the upper critical field when compared to the single-band case. While the role of orbital pair-breaking on the critical field of multi-band superconductors has been explored extensively, paramagnetic and spin-orbital scattering effects have received comparatively little attention. Here we investigate this problem using thin films of Nd-doped SrTiO$_3$. We furthermore propose a model for analyzing the temperature-dependence of the critical field in the presence of orbital, paramagnetic and spin-orbital effects, and find a very good agreement with our data. Interestingly, we also observe a dramatic enhancement in the out-of-plane critical field to values well in excess of the Chandrasekhar-Clogston (Pauli) paramagnetic limit, which can be understood as a consequence of multi-band effects in the presence of spin-orbital scattering.Comment: 32 page

Direct observation and consequences of dopant segregation inside and outside dislocation cores in perovskite BaSnO3

Distinct dopant behaviors inside and outside dislocation cores are identified by atomic-resolution electron microscopy in perovskite BaSnO3 with considerable consequences on local atomic and electronic structures. Driven by elastic strain, when A-site designated La dopants segregate near a dislocation core, the dopant atoms accumulate at the Ba sites in compressively strained regions. This triggers formation of Ba-vacancies adjacent to the core atomic sites resulting in reconstruction of the core. Notwithstanding the presence of extremely large tensile strain fields, when La atoms segregate inside the dislocation core, they become B-site dopants, replacing Sn atoms and compensating the positive charge of the core oxygen vacancies. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy shows that the local electronic structure of these dislocations changes dramatically due to the segregation of the dopants inside and around the core ranging from formation of strong La-O hybridized electronic states near the conduction band minimum to insulator-to-metal transition

Shubnikov-de Haas effect in low electron density SrTiO3: Conduction band edge of SrTiO3 redux

The Shubnikov-de Haas effect is used to explore the conduction band edge of high mobility SrTiO3 films doped with La. The results largely confirm the earlier measurements by Uwe et al. [Jap. J. Appl. Phys. 24, Suppl. 24-2, 335 (1985)]. The band edge dispersion differs significantly from the predictions of ab initio electronic structure theory

STEM beam channeling in BaSnO3/LaAlO3 perovskite bilayers and visualization of 2D misfit dislocation network

A study of the STEM probe channeling in a heterostructures crystalline specimen is presented here with a goal to guide appropriate STEM-based characterization for complex structures. STEM analysis of perovskite BaSnO3/LaAlO3 bilayers is performed and the dominating effects of beam channeling on HAADF- and LAADF-STEM are illustrated. To study the electron beam propagating through BaSnO3/LaAlO3 bilayers, probe intensity depth profiles are calculated, and the effects of probe defocus and atomic column alignment are discussed. Characteristics of the beam channeling are correlated to resulting ADF-STEM images, which is then tested by comparing focal series of plan-view HAADF-STEM images to those recorded experimentally. Additionally, discussions on how to visualize the misfit dislocation network at the BaSnO3/LaAlO3 interface using HAADF- and LAADF-STEM images are provided.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure