Seon Young Moon

Non-Volatile Control of 2DEG Conductivity at Oxide Interfaces

The functionalization of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at oxide interfaces can be realized integrating 2DEG with multifunctional oxide overlayers by epitaxial growth. Using a ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.2 Ti0.8 )O3 overlayer on 2DEG (LaAlO3 /SrTiO3 ), we demonstrate a model system of the functionalized 2DEG, where electrical conductivity of 2DEG can be reversibly controlled with a large on/off ratio (>1000) in a non-volatile way by ferroelectric polarization switching.

Tunable conductivity at LaAlO3/SrxCa1−xTiO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) heterointerfaces

The two-dimensional electron gas formed at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces exhibits a variety of interesting physical properties. Herein, we report on tunable conductivity at LaAlO3/SrxCa1−xTiO3 heterostructures. By changing the Sr content in the SrxCa1−xTiO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) layers, the orthorhombicity of the films, which inevitably accompanies TiO6 octahedral distortions in the unit cells, could be varied. As a result, the interfacial conductivity can be tuned over 6 orders of magnitude. We suggest that the use of pseudosubstrates with chemical substitution or alloying is a promising route to finely tune conductivity at oxide heterointerfaces.

Indium as an efficient ohmic contact to N-face n-GaN of GaN-based vertical light-emitting diodes

We propose indium (In), a low work function and nitride-forming element, as an efficient ohmic contact layer to N-face n-GaN. While conventional Al-based ohmic contacts show severe degradation after annealing at 300 °C, In-based ohmic contacts display considerable improvement in contact resistivity. The annealing-induced enhancement of ohmic behavior in In-based contacts is attributed to the formation of an InN interfacial layer, which is supported by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements. These results suggest that In is of particular importance for application as reliable ohmic contacts to n-GaN of GaN-based vertical light-emitting diodes.

Comprehensive study on critical role of surface oxygen vacancies for 2DEG formation and annihilation in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces

Here we report comprehensive study of 2DEG at a-LAO/STO interfaces in comparison with 2DEG at crystalline LaAlO3 (c-LAO)/STO interfaces. We observe that the oxygen deficient environment during the deposition of LAO overlayer is essentially required to create 2DEG at LAO/STO interface regardless of growth temperature from 25°C to 700°C, indicating that the oxygen-poor condition in the system is more important than the crystallinity of LAO layer. The critical thickness (2.6 nm) of 2DEG formation at a-LAO/STO heterostructure is thicker than (1.6 nm) that at c-LAO/STO. Upon ex-situ annealing at 300°C under 300 mTorr of oxygen pressure, 2DEG at a-LAO/STO interface is annihilated, while that in c-LAO/STO interface is still maintained. With combing these findings and scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) analysis, we suggest that oxygen vacancies at the LAO surface is attributed to the origin of 2DEG formation at the LAO/STO and the crystallinity of the LAO overlayer plays a critical role in the annihilation of 2DEG at a-LAO/STO interface rather than in the formation of 2DEG. This work provides a framework to understand the importance of prohibiting the LAO surface from being oxidized for achieving thermally stable 2DEG at a-LAO/STO interface.

Symmetry-dependent interfacial reconstruction to compensate polar discontinuity at perovskite oxide interfaces (LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and LaAlO3/CaTiO3)

We report the crystal symmetry-dependency of the interfacial reconstruction to relieve the polar discontinuity at the complex oxide heterointerfaces. We chose LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and LaAlO3/CaTiO3 interfaces as model systems, where the neutral TiO2 and the positive LaO+ layers form the polar discontinuity at the interface with TiO2-terminated (001) cubic SrTiO3 and orthorhombic CaTiO3. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, we observed that the interlayer distance abnormally increased at the interface. We performed the first-principles calculations to understand the detailed atomic displacement at the interfaces having no oxygen vacancy and intermixing. Our results show that cations were reconstructed in different ways depending on the crystal symmetry through the octahedral tilts and atomic displacements to compensate the polar discontinuity at the interfaces. Our results imply that the interfacial reconstructions have to be considered along with the ionic compensation (intermixing) and electronic compensation (two dimensional electron gas) to fully understand the interfacial phenomena.

Influence of Gas Ambient on Charge Writing at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterointerface

We investigated the influences of charge writing on the surface work function (W) and sheet resistance (R) of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) heterointerface in several gas environments: H2(2%)/N2(98%), air, N2, and O2. The decrease in W and R due to charge writing was much larger in air (ΔW = -0.45 eV and ΔR = -40 kΩ/S) than in O2 (ΔW = -0.21 eV and ΔR = -19 kΩ/S). The reduced R could be maintained more than 100 h in H2/N2. Such distinct behaviors were quantitatively discussed, based on the proposed charge-writing mechanisms. Such analyses showed how several processes, such as carrier transfer via surface adsorbates, surface redox, electronic state modification, and electrochemical surface reactions, contributed to charge writing in each gas.

Nonvolatile resistance switching on two-dimensional electron gas.

Two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the complex oxide interfaces have brought about considerable interest for the application of the next-generation multifunctional oxide electronics due to the exotic properties that do not exist in the bulk. In this study, we report the integration of 2DEG into the nonvolatile resistance switching cell as a bottom electrode, where the metal-insulator transition of 2DEG by an external field serves to significantly reduce the OFF-state leakage current while enhancing the on/off ratio. Using the Pt/Ta2O5-y/Ta2O5-x/SrTiO3 heterostructure as a model system, we demonstrate the nonvolatile resistance switching memory cell with a large on/off ratio (>10(6)) and a low leakage current at the OFF state (∼10(-13) A). Beyond exploring nonvolatile memory, our work also provides an excellent framework for exploring the fundamental understanding of novel physics in which electronic and ionic processes are coupled in the complex heterostructures.

Dependence of LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 Interfacial Conductivity on the Thickness of LaAlO 3 Layer Investigated by Current-voltage Characteristics

Oxides possess several interesting properties, such as ferroelectricity, magnetism, superconductivity, and multiferroic behavior, which can effectively be used oxide electronics based on epitaxially grown heterostructures. The microscopic properties of oxide interfaces may have a strong impact on the electrical transport properties of these heterostructures. It was recently demonstrated that high electrical conductivity and mobility can be achieved in the system of an ultrathin film deposited on a -terminated substrate, which was a remarkable result because the conducting layer was at the interface between two insulators. In this study, we observe that the current-voltage characteristics exhibit thickness dependence of electrical conductivity in -terminated . We find that the layers with a thickness of up 3 unit cells, result in highly insulating interfaces, whereas those with thickness of 4 unit cells and above result in conducting interfaces.