Metal to insulator transition in ultrathin SrIrO$_{\mathrm{3\thinspace }}$films

POSTER

Abstract

The 5$d$ iridates host a variety of intriguing novel phenomena, such as the spin-orbit Mott insulating state in Sr$_{\mathrm{2}}$IrO$_{\mathrm{4}}$, the potential superconductivity in doped Sr$_{\mathrm{2}}$IrO$_{\mathrm{4}}$, and the semi-metallic ground state in SrIrO$_{\mathrm{3}}$. Here, using a combination of reactive molecular beam epitaxy and \textit{in situ} transport measurements, we grew a series ultrathin films of SrIrO$_{\mathrm{3}}$ and observed a metal to insulator transition when the film thickness is below a critical value.

Authors

  • Wei Guo

    National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

  • Dianxiang Ji

    National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

  • Zhangwen Mao

    National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

  • Zhengbin Gu

    National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

  • Yuefeng Nie*

    National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

  • Xiaoqing Pan

    National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China, Detp. Chem. Eng. and Mater. Sci., and Dept. Phys. and Astro., University of California-Irvine