Quasi-two-dimensional electron gas at the epitaxial alumina/SrTiO3 interface: Control of oxygen vacancies

Abstract

In this paper, we report on the highly conductive layer formed at the crystalline γ-alumina/SrTiO3 interface, which is attributed to oxygen vacancies. We describe the structure of thin γ-alumina layers deposited by molecular beam epitaxy on SrTiO3 (001) at growth temperatures in the range of 400–800 °C, as determined by reflection-high-energy electron diffraction, x-ray diffraction, and high-resolution electron microscopy. In situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to confirm the presence of the oxygen-deficient layer. Electrical characterization indicates sheet carrier densities of ∼1013 cm−2 at room temperature for the sample deposited at 700 °C, with a maximum electron Hall mobility of 3100 cm2V−1s−1 at 3.2 K and room temperature mobility of 22 cm2V−1s−1. Annealing in oxygen is found to reduce the carrier density and turn a conductive sample into an insulator.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Mar 05, 2015
Source ID
10.1063/1.4913860

Entities

People

  • Agham Posadas
  • Alexander A Demkov
  • David J Smith
  • Jean Jordan-sweet
  • John G Ekerdt
  • Kristy J Kormondy
  • Martha R. Mccartney
  • Nicholas Goble
  • Sirong Lu
  • Thong Q. Ngo
  • Xuan P. A. Gao

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Arizona State University
  • Case Western Reserve University
  • International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)
  • University of Texas at Austin

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Nanofabrication and Microfabrication.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Graphene