Probing electronic dead layers in homoepitaxial n -SrTiO3(001) films

S. A. Chambers; Dooyong Lee; Z. Yang; Yi Huang; W. Samarakoon; H. Zhou; P. V. Sushko; Tristan K Truttmann; L. W. Wangoh; T. L. Lee; J. Gabel; B. Jalan

doi:10.1063/5.0098500

Probing electronic dead layers in homoepitaxial n -SrTiO₃(001) films

S. A. Chambers, Dooyong Lee, Z. Yang, Yi Huang, W. Samarakoon, H. Zhou, P. V. Sushko, Tristan K Truttmann, L. W. Wangoh, T. L. Lee, J. Gabel, B. Jalan

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We combine state-of-the-art oxide epitaxial growth by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy with transport, x-ray photoemission, and surface diffraction, along with classical and first-principles quantum mechanical modeling to investigate the nuances of insulating layer formation in otherwise high-mobility homoepitaxial n-SrTiO3(001) films. Our analysis points to charge immobilization at the buried n-SrTiO3/undoped SrTiO3(001) interface as well as within the surface contamination layer resulting from air exposure as the drivers of electronic dead-layer formation. As Fermi level equilibration occurs at the surface and the buried interface, charge trapping reduces the sheet carrier density (n2D) and renders the n-STO film insulating if n2D falls below the critical value for the metal-to-insulator transition.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	070903
Journal	APL Materials
Volume	10
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0098500
State	Published - Jul 1 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Work at PNNL was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (Award No. 10122). WSS acknowledges support from the OSU-PNNL Graduate Fellowship. Work at UMN was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (Grant No. DE-SC002021). Structural characterizations were carried out at the University of Minnesota Characterization Facility, which receives partial support from NSF through the MRSEC program (Award No. DMR-2011401). ZY acknowledges support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) (Grant No. FA9550-21-1-0025). YH was supported by the Fine Theoretical Physics Institute of UMN. Modeling was done using the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231) using NERSC (Award No. BES-ERCAP0021800). This research used resources at the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory (Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357).

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title = "Probing electronic dead layers in homoepitaxial n -SrTiO3(001) films",

abstract = "We combine state-of-the-art oxide epitaxial growth by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy with transport, x-ray photoemission, and surface diffraction, along with classical and first-principles quantum mechanical modeling to investigate the nuances of insulating layer formation in otherwise high-mobility homoepitaxial n-SrTiO3(001) films. Our analysis points to charge immobilization at the buried n-SrTiO3/undoped SrTiO3(001) interface as well as within the surface contamination layer resulting from air exposure as the drivers of electronic dead-layer formation. As Fermi level equilibration occurs at the surface and the buried interface, charge trapping reduces the sheet carrier density (n2D) and renders the n-STO film insulating if n2D falls below the critical value for the metal-to-insulator transition.",

author = "Chambers, {S. A.} and Dooyong Lee and Z. Yang and Yi Huang and W. Samarakoon and H. Zhou and Sushko, {P. V.} and Truttmann, {Tristan K} and Wangoh, {L. W.} and Lee, {T. L.} and J. Gabel and B. Jalan",

note = "Funding Information: Work at PNNL was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (Award No. 10122). WSS acknowledges support from the OSU-PNNL Graduate Fellowship. Work at UMN was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (Grant No. DE-SC002021). Structural characterizations were carried out at the University of Minnesota Characterization Facility, which receives partial support from NSF through the MRSEC program (Award No. DMR-2011401). ZY acknowledges support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) (Grant No. FA9550-21-1-0025). YH was supported by the Fine Theoretical Physics Institute of UMN. Modeling was done using the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231) using NERSC (Award No. BES-ERCAP0021800). This research used resources at the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory (Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Author(s).",

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doi = "10.1063/5.0098500",

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AU - Lee, Dooyong

AU - Yang, Z.

AU - Huang, Yi

AU - Samarakoon, W.

AU - Zhou, H.

AU - Sushko, P. V.

AU - Truttmann, Tristan K

AU - Wangoh, L. W.

AU - Lee, T. L.

AU - Gabel, J.

AU - Jalan, B.

N1 - Funding Information: Work at PNNL was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (Award No. 10122). WSS acknowledges support from the OSU-PNNL Graduate Fellowship. Work at UMN was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (Grant No. DE-SC002021). Structural characterizations were carried out at the University of Minnesota Characterization Facility, which receives partial support from NSF through the MRSEC program (Award No. DMR-2011401). ZY acknowledges support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) (Grant No. FA9550-21-1-0025). YH was supported by the Fine Theoretical Physics Institute of UMN. Modeling was done using the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231) using NERSC (Award No. BES-ERCAP0021800). This research used resources at the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory (Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Author(s).

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N2 - We combine state-of-the-art oxide epitaxial growth by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy with transport, x-ray photoemission, and surface diffraction, along with classical and first-principles quantum mechanical modeling to investigate the nuances of insulating layer formation in otherwise high-mobility homoepitaxial n-SrTiO3(001) films. Our analysis points to charge immobilization at the buried n-SrTiO3/undoped SrTiO3(001) interface as well as within the surface contamination layer resulting from air exposure as the drivers of electronic dead-layer formation. As Fermi level equilibration occurs at the surface and the buried interface, charge trapping reduces the sheet carrier density (n2D) and renders the n-STO film insulating if n2D falls below the critical value for the metal-to-insulator transition.

AB - We combine state-of-the-art oxide epitaxial growth by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy with transport, x-ray photoemission, and surface diffraction, along with classical and first-principles quantum mechanical modeling to investigate the nuances of insulating layer formation in otherwise high-mobility homoepitaxial n-SrTiO3(001) films. Our analysis points to charge immobilization at the buried n-SrTiO3/undoped SrTiO3(001) interface as well as within the surface contamination layer resulting from air exposure as the drivers of electronic dead-layer formation. As Fermi level equilibration occurs at the surface and the buried interface, charge trapping reduces the sheet carrier density (n2D) and renders the n-STO film insulating if n2D falls below the critical value for the metal-to-insulator transition.

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Probing electronic dead layers in homoepitaxial n -SrTiO₃(001) films

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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University of Minnesota Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (DMR-2011401)

IRG-1: Ionic Control of Materials

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Probing electronic dead layers in homoepitaxial n -SrTiO3(001) films

Abstract

Bibliographical note

MRSEC Support

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University of Minnesota Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (DMR-2011401)

IRG-1: Ionic Control of Materials

Cite this

Probing electronic dead layers in homoepitaxial n -SrTiO₃(001) films