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arXiv · 1309.2022

Momentum-resolved electronic structure at a buried interface from soft x-ray standing-wave angle-resolved photoemission

A. X. Gray·J. Minár·L. Plucinski·M. Huijben·A. Bostwick·E. Rotenberg·S. -H. Yang·J. Braun·A. Winkelmann·G. Conti·D. Eiteneer·A. Rattanachata·A. A. Greer·J. Ciston·C. Ophus·G. Rijnders·D. H. A. Blank·D. Doennig·R. Pentcheva·C. M. Schneider·H. Ebert·C. S. Fadley
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Abstract

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) is a powerful technique for the study of electronic structure, but it lacks a direct ability to study buried interfaces between two materials. We address this limitation by combining ARPES with soft x-ray standing-wave (SW) excitation (SWARPES), in which the SW profile is scanned through the depth of the sample. We have studied the buried interface in a prototypical magnetic tunnel junction La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/SrTiO3. Depth- and momentum-resolved maps of Mn 3d eg and t2g states from the central, bulk-like and interface-like regions of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 exhibit distinctly different behavior consistent with a change in the Mn bonding at the interface. We compare the experimental results to state-of-the-art density-functional and one-step photoemission theory, with encouraging agreement that suggests wide future applications of this technique.

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A. X. Gray, J. Minár, L. Plucinski, M. Huijben, A. Bostwick, E. Rotenberg, S. -H. Yang, J. Braun, A. Winkelmann, G. Conti, D. Eiteneer, A. Rattanachata, A. A. Greer, J. Ciston, C. Ophus, G. Rijnders, D. H. A. Blank, D. Doennig, R. Pentcheva, C. M. Schneider, H. Ebert, C. S. Fadley. 2013-09-09. Momentum-resolved electronic structure at a buried interface from soft x-ray standing-wave angle-resolved photoemission. https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/104/17004

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