Gate-tunable giant nonreciprocal charge transport in noncentrosymmetric oxide interfaces.

A polar conductor, where inversion symmetry is broken, may exhibit directional propagation of itinerant electrons, i.e., the rightward and leftward currents differ from each other, when time-reversal symmetry is also broken. This potential rectification effect was shown to be very weak due to the fact that the kinetic energy is much higher than the energies associated with symmetry breaking, producing weak perturbations. Here we demonstrate the appearance of giant nonreciprocal charge transport in the conductive oxide interface, LaAlO3/SrTiO3, where the electrons are confined to two-dimensions with low Fermi energy. In addition, the Rashba spin-orbit interaction correlated with the sub-band hierarchy of this system enables a strongly tunable nonreciprocal response by applying a gate voltage. The observed behavior of directional response in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 is associated with comparable energy scales among kinetic energy, spin-orbit interaction, and magnetic field, which inspires a promising route to enhance nonreciprocal response and its functionalities in spin orbitronics.

A possible superconductor-like state at elevated temperatures near metal electrodes in an LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface.

We experimentally investigated the transport properties near metal electrodes installed on a conducting channel in a LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. The local region around the Ti and Al electrodes has a higher electrical conductance than that of other regions, where the upper limits of the temperature and magnetic field can be well defined. Beyond these limits, the conductance abruptly decreases, as in the case of a superconductor. The samples with the Ti- or Al-electrode have an upper-limit temperature of approximately 4 K, which is 10 times higher than the conventional superconducting critical temperature of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces and delta-doped SrTiO3. This phenomenon is explained by the mechanism of electron transfer between the metal electrodes and electronic d-orbitals in the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. The transferred electrons trigger a phase transition to a superconductor-like state. Our results contribute to the deep understanding of the superconductivity in the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface and will be helpful for the development of high-temperature interface superconductors.

Nonlocal Spin Diffusion Driven by Giant Spin Hall Effect at Oxide Heterointerfaces.

A two-dimensional electron gas emerged at a LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface is an ideal system for "spin-orbitronics" as the structure itself strongly couple the spin and orbital degree of freedom through the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. One of core experiments toward this direction is the nonlocal spin transport measurement, which has remained elusive due to the low spin injection efficiency to this system. Here we bypass the problem by generating a spin current not through the spin injection from outside but instead through the inherent spin Hall effect and demonstrate the nonlocal spin transport. The analysis on the nonlocal spin voltage, confirmed by the signature of a Larmor spin precession and its length dependence, displays that both D'yakonov-Perel' and Elliott-Yafet mechanisms involve in the spin relaxation at low temperature. Our results show that the oxide heterointerface is highly efficient in spin-charge conversion with exceptionally strong spin Hall coefficient γ ∼ 0.15 ± 0.05 and could be an outstanding platform for the study of coupled charge and spin transport phenomena and their electronic applications.

Giant Electroresistive Ferroelectric Diode on 2DEG.

Manipulation of electrons in a solid through transmitting, storing, and switching is the fundamental basis for the microelectronic devices. Recently, the electroresistance effect in the ferroelectric capacitors has provided a novel way to modulate the electron transport by polarization reversal. Here, we demonstrate a giant electroresistive ferroelectric diode integrating a ferroelectric capacitor into two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at oxide interface. As a model system, we fabricate an epitaxial Au/Pb(Zr(0.2)Ti(0.8))O3/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructure, where 2DEG is formed at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. This device functions as a two-terminal, non-volatile memory of 1 diode-1 resistor with a large I+/I- ratio (>10(8) at ± 6 V) and I(on)/I(off) ratio (>10(7)). This is attributed to not only Schottky barrier modulation at metal/ferroelectric interface by polarization reversal but also the field-effect metal-insulator transition of 2DEG. Moreover, using this heterostructure, we can demonstrate a memristive behavior for an artificial synapse memory, where the resistance can be continuously tuned by partial polarization switching, and the electrons are only unidirectionally transmitted. Beyond non-volatile memory and logic devices, our results will provide new opportunities to emerging electronic devices such as multifunctional nanoelectronics and neuromorphic electronics.

Electric-field-induced shift in the threshold voltage in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures.

The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the interface between insulating LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 is intriguing both as a fundamental science topic and for possible applications in electronics or sensors. For example, because the electrical conductance of the 2DEG at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface can be tuned by applying an electric field, new electronic devices utilizing the 2DEG at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface could be possible. For the implementation of field-effect devices utilizing the 2DEG, determining the on/off switching voltage for the devices and ensuring their stability are essential. However, the factors influencing the threshold voltage have not been extensively investigated. Here, we report the voltage-induced shift of the threshold voltage of Pt/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures. A large negative voltage induces an irreversible positive shift in the threshold voltage. In fact, after the application of such a large negative voltage, the original threshold voltage cannot be recovered even by application of a large positive electric field. This irreversibility is attributed to the generation of deep traps near the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface under the negative voltage. This finding could contribute to the implementation of nanoelectronic devices using the 2DEG at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface.

Conductance Change Induced by the Rashba Effect in the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Interface.

The LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) heterostructure has an inherent space inversion asymmetry causing an internal electric field near the interface. The Rashba spin-orbit coupling arising from this structural characteristic has a considerable influence on spin transport. With application of an external magnetic field, we observed conductance change in the LAO/STO interface which depends on the sign and magnitude of the field. Our systematic study revealed that these results come from spin dependent transport, by which we obtained quantitative strength of the Rashba effect. The Rashba strength in this system depends on the temperature: it varies from 2.6 x 10(-12) eVm to negligible value in the temperature range of 1.8 K-12 K. This method for detecting Rashba effect covers a wider temperature range in comparison with those obtained from Shubnikov-de Haas oscillation or weak antilocalization measurements.

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.

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.

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.