Metal-organic Pulsed Laser Deposition for Complex Oxide Heterostructures

Jung-Woo Lee; Jieun Kim; Anthony L. Edgeton; Tula R. Paudel; Neil Campbell; Brenton A. Noesges; Jonathon L. Schad; Jiangfeng Yang; Katelyn Wada; Jonathan Moreno-Ramirez; Nicholas Parker; Yulin Gan; Hyungwoo Lee; Dennis V. Christensen; Kitae Eom; Jong-Hoon Kang; Yunzhong Chen; Thomas Tybell; Nini Pryds; Dmitri A. Tenne; Leonard J. Brillson; Mark S. Rzchowski; Evgeny Y. Tsymbal; Chang-Beom Eom

arXiv · 2503.13878

Metal-organic Pulsed Laser Deposition for Complex Oxide Heterostructures

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Abstract

Point defects in complex oxide thin films play a critical role in determining material properties but remain challenging to control with precision. This study introduces metal-organic pulsed laser deposition (MOPLD) as a novel synthesis technique for the precise manipulation of these defects, using LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) as a model system. By employing titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) as the titanium precursor, MOPLD achieves refined stoichiometric control in STO layers while preserving their structural integrity, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Depth-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations reveal that increasing TTIP flux during STO growth enhances the [TiSr]/[VSr] ratio and reduces the [VO] concentration. These defect modifications lead to a significant improvement in the low-temperature mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas at the LAO/STO interface, evidenced by distinct Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. This work underscores the potential of MOPLD to advance defect engineering in complex oxide heterostructures, opening new avenues for quantum material research.

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Jung-Woo Lee, Jieun Kim, Anthony L. Edgeton, Tula R. Paudel, Neil Campbell, Brenton A. Noesges, Jonathon L. Schad, Jiangfeng Yang, Katelyn Wada, Jonathan Moreno-Ramirez, Nicholas Parker, Yulin Gan, Hyungwoo Lee, Dennis V. Christensen, Kitae Eom, Jong-Hoon Kang, Yunzhong Chen, Thomas Tybell, Nini Pryds, Dmitri A. Tenne, Leonard J. Brillson, Mark S. Rzchowski, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, Chang-Beom Eom. 2025-03-18. Metal-organic Pulsed Laser Deposition for Complex Oxide Heterostructures. https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.13878

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