Local probing of coupled interfaces between two-dimensional electron and hole gases in oxide heterostructures by variable-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy

The electronic structure of an epitaxial oxide heterostructure containing two spatially separated two-dimensional conducting sheets, one electronlike (2DEG) and the other holelike (2DHG), has been investigated using variable temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy. Heterostructures of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 bilayers on (001)-oriented SrTiO3 (STO) substrates provide the unique possibility to study the coupling between subnanometer spaced conducting interfaces. The band gap increases dramatically at low temperatures due to a blocking of the transition from the conduction band of the STO substrate to the top of the valence band of the STO capping layer. This prevents the replenishment of the depleted electrons in the capping layer from the underlying 2DEG and enables charging of the 2DHG by applying a negative sample bias voltage within the band gap region. At low temperatures the 2DHG can be probed separately with the proposed experimental geometry, although the 2DEG is located less than 1 nm belo

Reconstructions at complex oxide interfaces

Perovskite-type oxides, ABO3, are of high interest since they exhibit a wide variety of properties. Having comparable oxygen backbone structures, perovskite-type oxides can easily be stacked on top of each other with atomic precision. This may result in advanced materials with new or enhanced functionalities. Moreover, near the interface, interplay between the different materials occurs, which may lead to interesting functionalities confined at the interface. For the development of device applications, it is important to understand the origin of the functionalities near the interface of oxide heterostructures. In this thesis, the interface behavior of perovskite-type oxide heterostructures was studied for four different cases: DyScO3 surface, SrTiO3-amorphous oxide, LaAlO3-SrTiO3 and LaTiO3-LaFeO3. Electronic, structural and chemical reconstructions were taken into account. It has been shown that the behavior of perovskite-type oxide interfaces is very sensitive to small variations in composition and structure near the interface