Margherita Boselli

Efficient spin-to-charge conversion in the 2D electron liquid at the LAO/STO interface

Spin-to-charge conversion using the inverse Rashba-Edelstein effect is measured in the 2D electron liquid existing at the interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. The effect is found to be larger than in the highly Rashba split Bi/Ag interface which we attribute to an amplifying effect due to a long carriers momentum lifetime. The explanation is supported by temperature measurements and the Rashba field is also shown to be anisotropic in the interface plane.

Magneto-transport study of top- and back-gated LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures

We report a detailed analysis of magneto-transport properties of top- and back-gated LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures. Efficient modulation in magneto-resistance, carrier density, and mobility of the two-dimensional electron liquid present at the interface is achieved by sweeping top and back gate voltages. Analyzing those changes with respect to the carrier density tuning, we observe that the back gate strongly modifies the electron mobility while the top gate mainly varies the carrier density. The evolution of the spin-orbit interaction is also followed as a function of top and back gating.

Characterization of atomic force microscopy written conducting nanowires at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces

The realization of conducting nanostructures at the interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 is an important step towards the realization of devices and the investigation of exotic physical regimes. We present here a detailed study of the conducting nanowires realized using the atomic force microscopy writing technique. By comparing experiments with numerical simulations, we show that these wires reproduce the ideal case of nanoconducting channels defined in an insulating background very well and that the tip bias is a powerful knob to modulate the size of these structures. We also discuss the role of the air humidity that is found to be a crucial parameter to set the size of the tip-sample effective interaction area.

Probing Quantum Confinement and Electronic Structure at Polar Oxide Interfaces

Abstract Polar discontinuities occurring at interfaces between two materials constitute both a challenge and an opportunity in the study and application of a variety of devices. In order to cure the large electric field occurring in such structures, a reconfiguration of the charge landscape sets in at the interface via chemical modifications, adsorbates, or charge transfer. In the latter case, one may expect a local electronic doping of one material: one example is the two‐dimensional electron liquid (2DEL) appearing in SrTiO3 once covered by a polar LaAlO3 layer. Here, it is shown that tuning the formal polarization of a (La,Al)1− x(Sr,Ti)xO3 (LASTO:x) overlayer modifies the quantum confinement of the 2DEL in SrTiO3 and its electronic band structure. The analysis of the behavior in magnetic field of superconducting field‐effect devices reveals, in agreement with ab initio calculations and self‐consistent Poisson–Schrödinger modeling, that quantum confinement and energy splitting between electronic bands of different symmetries strongly depend on the interface total charge densities. These results strongly support the polar discontinuity mechanisms with a full charge transfer to explain the origin of the 2DEL at the celebrated LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface and demonstrate an effective tool for tailoring the electronic structure at oxide interfaces.