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Dimensional tuning of the metal-to-insulator transition in epitaxially strained NdNiO<sub>3</sub> films

ORAL

Abstract

The rare earth nickelate perovskites, RENiO3 RE=La,Pr,Nd,…, exhibit a variety of intertwined phase transitions including a structural rearrangement, charge disproportionation, antiferromagnetic order, and a metal-to-insulator (MIT) transition. Epitaxial thin films have offered a fruitful platform to engineer these phases using doping, epitaxial strain, heterostructuring, and confinement. For example, it has been previously established that in ultrathin films of LaNiO3 under compressive strain the metallic ground state is suppressed in favor of an insulating one as the film thickness is reduced. In this talk we illustrate an opposite effect where the MIT in highly tensily strained NdNiO3/SrTiO3 (100) films can be continuously suppressed by decreasing the film thickness. At a critical thickness we observe a complete suppression of the insulating ground state in favor of a metallic one. We discuss the investigation of this crossover using a variety of measurement techniques as well as the connection between the suppression of the MIT and a simultaneously observed change in the octahedral rotation pattern of the films.

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Presenters

  • Christopher T Parzyck

    Cornell University, Department of Physics, Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

Authors

  • Christopher T Parzyck

    Cornell University, Department of Physics, Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

  • Vivek Anil

    Cornell University, Department of Physics, Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

  • Berit H Goodge

    Cornell University

  • Ludi Miao

    Cornell University

  • Shuyuan Zhang

    Department of Physics, Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA, Cornell University

  • Lena F Kourkoutis

    Cornell University, School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University

  • Darrell G Schlom

    Cornell University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University

  • Kyle M Shen

    Cornell University