Christian M. Schlepütz

Effect of interfacial octahedral behavior in ultrathin manganite films.

We investigate structural coupling of the MnO6 octahedra across a film/substrate interface and the resultant changes of the physical properties of ultrathin La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO) films. In order to isolate the effect of interfacial MnO6 octahedral behavior from that of epitaxial strain, LSMO films are grown on substrates with different symmetry and similar lattice parameters. Ultrathin LSMO films show an increased magnetization and electrical conductivity on cubic (LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 (LSAT) compared to those grown on orthorhombic NdGaO3 (NGO) substrates, an effect that subsides as the thickness of the films is increased. This study demonstrates that interfacial structural coupling can play a critical role in the functional properties of oxide heterostructures.

Correlating interfacial octahedral rotations with magnetism in (LaMnO3+δ)N/(SrTiO3)N superlattices

Lattice distortion due to oxygen octahedral rotations have a significant role in mediating the magnetism in oxides, and recently attracts a lot of interests in the study of complex oxides interface. However, the direct experimental evidence for the interrelation between octahedral rotation and magnetism at interface is scarce. Here we demonstrate that interfacial octahedral rotation are closely linked to the strongly modified ferromagnetism in (LaMnO3+δ)N/(SrTiO3)N superlattices. The maximized ferromagnetic moment in the N=6 superlattice is accompanied by a metastable structure (space group Imcm) featuring minimal octahedral rotations (a(-)a(-)c(-), α~4.2°, γ~0.5°). Quenched ferromagnetism for N<4 superlattices is correlated to a substantially enhanced c axis octahedral rotation (a(-)a(-)c(-), α~3.8°, γ~8° for N=2). Monte-Carlo simulation based on double-exchange model qualitatively reproduces the experimental observation, confirming the correlation between octahedral rotation and magnetism. Our study demonstrates that engineering superlattices with controllable interfacial structures can be a feasible new route in realizing functional magnetic materials.

Spatial control of functional properties via octahedral modulations in complex oxide superlattices

Control of atomic structure, namely the topology of the corner-connected metal-oxygen octahedra, has emerged as an important route to tune the functional properties at oxide interfaces. Here we investigate isovalent manganite superlattices (SLs), [(La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3))n/(Eu(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3))n] × m, as a route to spatial control over electronic bandwidth and ferromagnetism through the creation of octahedral superstructures. Electron energy loss spectroscopy confirms a uniform Mn valence state throughout the SLs. In contrast, the presence of modulations of the MnO(6) octahedral rotations along the growth direction commensurate with the SL period is revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. We show that the Curie temperatures of the constituent materials can be systematically engineered via the octahedral superstructures leading to a modulated magnetization in samples where the SL period is larger than the interfacial octahedral coupling length scale, whereas a single magnetic transition is observed in the short-period SLs.

Full-field X-ray reflection microscopy of epitaxial thin-films

Novel X-ray imaging of structural domains in a ferroelectric epitaxial thin film using diffraction contrast is presented. The full-field hard X-ray microscope uses the surface scattering signal, in a reflectivity or diffraction experiment, to spatially resolve the local structure with 70 nm lateral spatial resolution and sub-nanometer height sensitivity. Sub-second X-ray exposures can be used to acquire a 14 µm × 14 µm image with an effective pixel size of 20 nm on the sample. The optical configuration and various engineering considerations that are necessary to achieve optimal imaging resolution and contrast in this type of microscopy are discussed.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Metastable β-Fe2O3 via Isomorphic Epitaxy for Photoassisted Water Oxidation

We report the growth and photoelectrochemical (PEC) characterization of the uncommon bibyite phase of iron(III) oxide (β-Fe2O3) epitaxially stabilized via atomic layer deposition on an conductive, transparent, and isomorphic template (Sn-doped In2O3). As a photoanode, unoptimized β-Fe2O3 ultrathin films perform similarly to their ubiquitous α-phase (hematite) counterpart, but reveal a more ideal bandgap (1.8 eV), a ∼0.1 V improved photocurrent onset potential, and longer wavelength (>600 nm) spectral response. Stable operation under basic water oxidation justifies further exploration of this atypical phase and motivates the investigation of other unexplored metastable phases as new PEC materials.

Untilting BiFeO3: The influence of substrate boundary conditions in ultra-thin BiFeO3 on SrTiO3

We report on the role of oxygen octahedral tilting in the monoclinic-to-tetragonal phase transition in ultra-thin BiFeO3 films grown on (001) SrTiO3 substrates. Reciprocal space maps clearly show the disappearance of the integer-order Bragg peak splitting associated with the monoclinic phase when the film thickness decreases below 20 unit cells. This monoclinic-to-tetragonal transition is accompanied by the evolution of the half-order diffraction peaks, which reflects untilting of the oxygen octahedra around the [110] axis, proving that the octahedral tilting is closely correlated with the transition. This structural change is thickness-dependent, and different from a strain-induced transition in the conventional sense.

Origin of stress and enhanced carrier transport in solution-cast organic semiconductor films

Molecular packing in laterally directed solution deposition is a strong function of variables such as printing speed, substrate temperature, and solution concentration. Knowledge of the ordering mechanisms impacts on the development of new processes and materials for improved electronic devices. Here, we present real-time synchrotron x-ray scattering results combined with optical video microscopy, revealing the stages of ordering during the deposition of organic thin films via hollow capillary writing. Limited long range ordering is observed during the initial crystallization, but it gradually develops over 3–4 s for a range of deposition conditions. Buckling of thin films is typically observed for deposition above room temperature. We infer that compressive stress originates from thermal transients related to solvent evaporation on timescales similar to the development of long range ordering. Under optimized conditions, elimination of cracks and other structural defects significantly improves the average...

A modular reactor design for in situ synchrotron x-ray investigation of atomic layer deposition processes

Synchrotron characterization techniques provide some of the most powerful tools for the study of film structure and chemistry. The brilliance and tunability of the Advanced Photon Source allow access to scattering and spectroscopic techniques unavailable with in-house laboratory setups and provide the opportunity to probe various atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes in situ starting at the very first deposition cycle. Here, we present the design and implementation of a portable ALD instrument which possesses a modular reactor scheme that enables simple experimental switchover between various beamlines and characterization techniques. As first examples, we present in situ results for (1) X-ray surface scattering and reflectivity measurements of epitaxial ZnO ALD on sapphire, (2) grazing-incidence small angle scattering of MnO nucleation on silicon, and (3) grazing-incidence X-ray absorption spectroscopy of nucleation-regime Er2O3 ALD on amorphous ALD alumina and single crystalline sapphire.

Understanding strain-induced phase transformations in BiFeO3 thin films

Experiments demonstrate that under large epitaxial strain a coexisting striped phase emerges in BiFeO3 thin films, which comprises a tetragonal‐like (T′) and an intermediate S′ polymorph. It exhibits a relatively large piezoelectric response when switching between the coexisting phase and a uniform T′ phase. This strain‐induced phase transformation is investigated through a synergistic combination of first‐principles theory and experiments. The results show that the S′ phase is energetically very close to the T′ phase, but is structurally similar to the bulk rhombohedral (R) phase. By fully characterizing the intermediate S′ polymorph, it is demonstrated that the flat energy landscape resulting in the absence of an energy barrier between the T′ and S′ phases fosters the above‐mentioned reversible phase transformation. This ability to readily transform between the S′ and T′ polymorphs, which have very different octahedral rotation patterns and c/a ratios, is crucial to the enhanced piezoelectricity in strained BiFeO3 films. Additionally, a blueshift in the band gap when moving from R to S′ to T′ is observed. These results emphasize the importance of strain engineering for tuning electromechanical responses or, creating unique energy harvesting photonic structures, in oxide thin film architectures.

Oscillatory noncollinear magnetism induced by interfacial charge transfer in superlattices composed of metallic oxides

Interfaces between correlated complex oxides are promising avenues to realize new forms of magnetism that arise as a result of charge transfer, proximity effects and locally broken symmetries. We report upon the discovery of a non-collinear magnetic structure in superlattices of the ferromagnetic metallic oxide La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO) and the correlated metal LaNiO3 (LNO). The exchange interaction between LSMO layers is mediated by the intervening LNO, such that the angle between the magnetization of neighboring LSMO layers varies in an oscillatory manner with the thickness of the LNO layer. The magnetic field, temperature, and spacer thickness dependence of the non-collinear structure are inconsistent with the bilinear and biquadratic interactions that are used to model the magnetic structure in conventional metallic multilayers. A model that couples the LSMO layers to a helical spin state within the LNO fits the observed behavior. We propose that the spin-helix results from the interaction between a spatially varying spin susceptibility within the LNO and interfacial charge transfer that creates localized Ni2+ states. This provides a new approach to engineering non-collinear spin textures in metallic oxide heterostructures that can be exploited in devices based on both spin and charge transport.