Electrostatic gating of ultrathin films

Electrostatic gating of ultrathin films can be used to modify electronic and magnetic properties of materials by effecting controlled alterations of carrier concentration while, in principle, not changing the level of disorder. As such, electrostatic gating can facilitate the development of novel devices and can serve as a means of exploring the fundamental properties of materials in a manner far simpler than is possible with the conventional approach of chemical doping. The entire phase diagram of a compound can be traversed by changing the gate voltage. In this review, we survey results involving conventional field effect devices as well as more recent progress, which has involved structures that rely on electrochemical configurations such as electric double-layer transistors. We emphasize progress involving thin films of oxide materials such as high-temperature superconductors, magnetic oxides, and oxides that undergo metal-insulator transitions.