arXiv subjects

K. Yoshimatsu

Publications and source records attributed to K. Yoshimatsu.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Interface-induced collective phase transition in VO2-based bilayers studied by layer selective spectroscopy

We investigated the origin of collective electronic phase transitions induced at the heterointerface between monoclinic insulating VO2 and rutile metallic electron-doped VO2 layers using in situ soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (PES) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) on nanoscale VO2/V0.99W0.01O2 (001)R bilayers. Thanks to the surface sensitivity of PES and XAS, we determined the changes in the electronic structure and V-V dimerization in each constituent layer separately. The layer selective observation of the electronic and crystal structures in the upper VO2 layer of the bilayer indicates that the monoclinic insulating phase VO2 layer undergoes a transition to the rutile metallic phase by forming the heterointerface. Detailed temperature-dependent measurements reveal that the rutile metallic phase VO2 undergoes a transition to the monoclinic insulating phase with a decrease in temperature, as in the case of a VO2 single-layer film. Furthermore, during the temperature-induced phase transition in the VO2 layer, the spectra are well described by an in-plane phase separation of the rutile metallic and monoclinic insulating phases. These results suggest that the interface-induced transition from the monoclinic insulating to the rutile metallic phase in the VO2 layer of bilayers occurs as a collective phase transition derived from the static energy balance between the interfacial energy and the bulk free energies of the constituent layers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Electronic phase diagram of Cr-doped VO2 epitaxial films studied by in situ photoemission spectroscopy

Through in situ photoemission spectroscopy (PES), we investigated the changes in the electronic structure of Cr-doped VO2 films coherently grown on TiO2 (001) substrates. The electronic phase diagram of CrxV1-xO2 is drawn by a combination of electric and spectroscopic measurements. The phase diagram is similar to that of bulk CrxV1-xO2, while the temperature of metal-insulator transition (TMIT) is significantly suppressed by the epitaxial strain effect. In the range of x = 0-0.04, where TMIT remains unchanged as a function of x, the PES spectra show dramatic change across TMIT, demonstrating the characteristic spectral changes associated with the Peierls phenomenon. In contrast, for x > 0.04, the TMIT linearly increases, and the metal-insulator transition (MIT) may disappear at x = 0.08-0.12. The PES spectra at x = 0.08 exhibit pseudogap behavior near the Fermi level, whereas the characteristic temperature-induced change remains almost intact, suggesting the existence of local V-V dimerization. The suppression of V-V dimerization with increasing x was confirmed by polarization-dependent x-ray absorption spectroscopy. These spectroscopic investigations reveal that the energy gap and V 3d states are essentially unchanged with 0 $\le$ x $\le$ 0.08 despite the suppression of V-V dimerization. The invariance of the energy gap with respect to x suggests that the MIT in CrxV1-xO2 arises primarily from the strong electron correlations, namely the Peierls-assisted Mott transition. Meanwhile, the pseudogap at x = 0.08 eventually evolves to a full gap (Mott gap) at x = 0.12, which is consistent with the disappearance of the temperature-dependent MIT in the electronic phase diagram. These results demonstrate that a Mott insulating phase without V-V dimerization is stabilized at x > 0.08 as a result of the superiority of Mott instability over the Peierls one.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Thickness dependence of electronic and crystal structures in VO$_2$ ultrathin films: suppression of the collaborative Mott-Peierls transition

Through ${in~situ}$ photoemission spectroscopy, we investigated the change in the electronic and crystal structures of dimensionality-controlled VO$_2$ films coherently grown on TiO$_2$(001) substrates. In the nanostructured films, the balance between the instabilities of a bandlike Peierls transition and a Mott transition is controlled as a function of thickness. The characteristic spectral change associated with temperature-driven metal-insulator transition in VO$_2$ thick films holds down to 1.5 nm (roughly corresponding to five V atoms along the [001] direction), whereas VO$_2$ films of less than 1.0 nm exhibit insulating nature without V-V dimerization. These results suggest that the delicate balance between a Mott instability and a bandlike Peierls instability is modulated at a scale of a few nanometers by the dimensional crossover effects and confinement effects, which consequently induce the complicated electronic phase diagram of ultrathin VO$_2$ films.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Anisotropic spin-density distribution and magnetic anisotropy of strained La$_{1-x}$Sr$_x$MnO$_3$ thin films: Angle-dependent x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Magnetic anisotropies of ferromagnetic thin films are induced by epitaxial strain from the substrate via strain-induced anisotropy in the orbital magnetic moment and that in the spatial distribution of spin-polarized electrons. However, the preferential orbital occupation in ferromagnetic metallic La$_{1-x}$Sr$_x$MnO$_3$ (LSMO) thin films studied by x-ray linear dichroism (XLD) has always been found out-of-plane for both tensile and compressive epitaxial strain and hence irrespective of the magnetic anisotropy. In order to resolve this mystery, we directly probed the preferential orbital occupation of spin-polarized electrons in LSMO thin films under strain by angle-dependent x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). Anisotropy of the spin-density distribution was found to be in-plane for the tensile strain and out-of-plane for the compressive strain, consistent with the observed magnetic anisotropy. The ubiquitous out-of-plane preferential orbital occupation seen by XLD is attributed to the occupation of both spin-up and spin-down out-of-plane orbitals in the surface magnetic dead layer.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Superconductivity in higher titanium oxides

Recent renewal of the highest transition temperature in a conventional superconductor of the sulfer hydride attracts much attention to exploring simple compounds with the lighter elements, situated in unconventional conditions. We report the discovery of superconductivity in simple oxides of Ti4O7 and g-Ti3O5 in a thin-film form having deliberately tuned epitaxial structures and off-stoichiometry. These higher titanium oxides join in a class of simple-oxide superconductors, and g-Ti3O5 now holds the highest superconducting transition temperature of 7.1 kelvin among them. The mechanism behind the superconductivity is discussed on the basis of electrical measurements and theoretical predictions. We conclude that superconductivity arises from unstabilized bipolaronic insulating states.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Phonon-Dressed Two-Dimensional Carriers on the ZnO Surface

Two-dimensional (2D) metallic states formed on the ZnO(10$\bar{1}$0) surface by hydrogen adsorption have been investigated using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). The observed metallic state is characterized by a peak-dip-hump structure at just below the Fermi level and a long tail structure extending up to 600 meV in binding energy. The peak and hump positions are separated by about 70 meV, a value close to the excitation energy of longitudinal optical (LO) phonons. Spectral functions formulated on the basis of the 2D electron-phonon coupling well reproduce the ARPES intensity distribution of the metallic states. This spectral analysis suggests that the 2D electrons accumulated on the ZnO surface couple to the LO phonons and that this coupling is the origin of the anomalous long tail. Our results indicate that the 2D electrons at the ZnO surface are described as the electron liquid model.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Correlated electronic states of SrVO3 revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

In this article, we review recent progress in angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) studies of the Mott-Hubbard-type correlated electron systems SrVO3. It has the d1 electron configuration and is an ideal model compound to study electron correlation effects in normal metal. ARPES studies of bulk single-crystal SrVO3 and CaVO3 have revealed the difference in the mass renormalization of electrons between them. In-situ ARPES studies of thin films fabricated by the pulsed laser deposition method have clarified not only quasi-particle dispersions, which show a kink like high-Tc cuprates, but also finite dispersions in the incoherent part. Self-energy in a wide energy range has been deduced from the ARPES spectral weight using Kramers-Kronig transformation. The obtained self-energy has several structures which yield the incoherent feature and a pseudogap-like dip similar to the high-Tc cuprates. Quantum-well states in ultrathin films of SrVO3 have revealed sub-bands with correlated electrons. These findings of electron correlation effects outlined in the present article would provide a starting point not only for fundamental condensed-matter physics but also for the development of new devices with correlated electrons.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Thickness-dependent magnetic properties and strain-induced orbital magnetic moment in SrRuO3 thin films

Thin films of the ferromagnetic metal SrRuO3 (SRO) show a varying easy magnetization axis depending on the epitaxial strain and undergo a metal-to-insulator transition with decreasing film thickness. We have investigated the magnetic properties of SRO thin films with varying thicknesses fabricated on SrTiO3(001) substrates by soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Ru M2,3 edge. Results have shown that, with decreasing film thickness, the film changes from ferromagnetic to non-magnetic around 3monolayer thickness, consistent with previous magnetization and magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements. The orbital magnetic moment perpendicular to the film was found to be ~ 0.1μB/Ru atom, and remained nearly unchanged with decreasing film thickness while the spin magnetic moment decreases. Mechanism for the formation of the orbital magnetic moment is discussed based on the electronic structure of the compressively strained SRO film.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Photoemission and X-ray Absorption Studies of the Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor Ba$_{1-y}$K$_{y}$(Zn$_{1-x}$Mn$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ Isostructural to Fe-based Superconductors

The electronic and magnetic properties of a new diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$(Zn$_{1-y}$Mn$_{y}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$, which is isostructural to so-called 122-type Fe-based superconductors, are investigated by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonance photoemission spectroscopy (RPES). Mn $L_{2,3}$-edge XAS indicates that the doped Mn atoms have the valence 2+ and strongly hybridize with the $4p$ orbitals of the tetrahedrally coordinating As ligands. The Mn $3d$ partial density of states (PDOS) obtained by RPES shows a peak around 4 eV and relatively high between 0-2 eV below the Fermi level ($E_{F}$) with little contribution at $E_{F}$, similar to that of the archetypal DMS Ga$_{1-x}$Mn$_{x}$As. This energy level creates $d^{5}$ electron configuration with $S=5/2$ local magnetic moments at the Mn atoms. Hole carriers induced by K substitution for Ba atoms go into the top of the As $4p$ valence band and are weakly bound to the Mn local spins. The ferromagnetic correlation between the local spins mediated by the hole carriers induces ferromagnetism in Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$(Zn$_{1-y}$Mn$_{y}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Electronic correlations and Hund's coupling effects in SrMoO$_3$ revealed by photoemission spectroscopy

We investigate the electronic structure of a perovskite-type Pauli paramagnet SrMoO3 (t2g2) thin film using hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and compare the results to the realistic calculations that combine the density functional theory within the local-density approximation (LDA) with the dynamical-mean field theory (DMFT). Despite the clear signature of electron correlations in the electronic specific heat, the narrowing of the quasiparticle bands is not observed in the photoemission spectrum. This is explained in terms of the characteristic effect of Hund's rule coupling for partially-filled t2g bands, which induces strong quasiparticle renormalization already for values of Hubbard interaction which are smaller than the bandwidth. The interpretation is supported by additional model DMFT calculations including Hund's rule coupling, that show renormalization of low-energy quasiparticles without affecting the overall bandwidth. The photoemission spectra show additional spectral weight around -2 eV that is not present in the LDA+DMFT. We interpret this weight as a plasmon satellite, which is supported by measured Mo, Sr and Oxygen core-hole spectra that all show satellites at this energy.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Spectroscopic studies on the electronic and magnetic states of Co-doped perovskite manganite Pr0.8Ca0.2Mn1-yCoyO3 thin films

We have investigated the electronic and magnetic properties of Co-doped Pr0.8Ca0.2MnO3 thin films using various spectroscopic techniques. X-ray absorption and hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy revealed that the substituted Co ions are in the divalent state, resulting in hole doping on the Mn atoms. Studies of element-selective magnetic properties by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism found a large orbital magnetic moment for the Co ions. These spectroscopic studies reveal that the substituted Co ions play several roles of hole doping for Mn, ferromagnetic superexchange coupling between the Co2+ and Mn4+ ions, and orbital magnetism of the Co2+ ions. Competition among these complex interactions produces the unique electronic and magnetic behaviors including enhanced coercivity of the Co-doped Pr0.8Ca0.2MnO3.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Phase diagram of Ca$_{1-x}$Ce$_x$MnO$_3$ thin films studied by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

In the perovskite-type Ca$_{1-x}$Ce$_{x}$MnO$_{3}$ (CCMO), one can control the transport and magnetic properties through varying Ce content. In the case of thin films, the properties can also be controlled by epitaxial strain from the substrate through changing it such as YAlO$_{3}$ (YAO), NdAlO$_{3}$ (NAO), and LaSrAlO$_{4}$ (LSAO). However, one cannot measure the magnetization of thin films on NAO substrates by conventional magnetization measurements because of the strong paramagnetic signals from the Nd$^{3+}$ ions. In order to eliminate the influence of Nd$^{3+}$ and to identify magnetic phases of the CCMO thin films, we have performed element-selective X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements of the Mn 2{\it p} core level. By studying the anisotropy of the XMCD intensity, we could unambiguously determine the magnetic phase diagram of the CCMO thin films.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Observation of magnetically hard grain boundaries in double-perovskite Sr$_{2}$FeMoO$_{6}$

Unusual low temperature magneto-resistance (MR) of ferromagnetic Sr$_{2}$FeMoO$_{6}$ polycrystals has been attributed to magnetically hard grain boundaries which act as spin valves. We detected the different magnetic hysteresis curves for the grains and the grain boundaries of polycrystalline Sr$_{2}$FeMoO$_{6}$ by utilizing the different probing depths of the different detection modes of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), namely, the total electron yield (TEY) mode (probing depth $\sim$5 nm) and the total fluorescence yield (TFY) mode (probing depth $\sim$100 nm). At 20 K, the magnetic coercivity detected in the TEY mode ($H_{\rm c,TEY}$) was several times larger than that in the TFY mode ($H_{\rm c,TFY}$), indicating harder ferromagnetism of the grain boundaries than that of the grains. At room temperature, the grain boundary magnetism became soft and $H_{\rm c,TEY}$ and $H_{\rm c,TFY}$ were nearly the same. From line-shape analysis of the XAS and XMCD spectra, we found that in the grain boundary region the ferromagnetic component is dominated by Fe$^{2+}$ or well-screened signals while the non-magnetic component is dominated by Fe$^{3+}$ or poorly-screened signals.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Self-Energy Effects on the Low- to High-Energy Electronic Structure of SrVO3

The correlated electronic structure of SrVO3 has been investigated by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy using in-situ prepared thin films. Pronounced features of band renormalization have been observed: a sharp kink ~60 meV below the Fermi level (EF) and a broad so-called "high-energy kink" ~0.3 eV below EF as in the high-Tc cuprates although SrVO3 does not show magnetic fluctuations. We have deduced the self-energy in a wide energy range by applying the Kramers-Kronig relation to the observed spectra. The obtained self-energy clearly shows a large energy scale of ~0.7 eV which is attributed to electron-electron interaction and gives rise to the ~0.3 eV "kink" in the band dispersion as well as the incoherent peak ~1.5eV below EF. The present analysis enables us to obtain consistent picture both for the incoherent spectra and the band renormalization.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Origin of Metallic States at Heterointerface between Band Insulators LaAlO$_3$ and SrTiO$_3$

We have studied the electronic structure at the heterointerface between the band insulators LaAlO$_3$ and SrTiO$_3$ using $in situ$ photoemission spectroscopy. Our experimental results clearly reveal the formation of a notched structure on the SrTiO$_3$ side due to band bending at the metallic LaAlO$_3$/TiO$_2$-SrTiO$_3$ interface. The structure, however, is absent at the insulating LaAlO$_3$/SrO-SrTiO$_3$ interface. The present results indicate that the metallic states originate not from the charge transfer through the interface on a short-range scale but from the accumulation of carriers on a long-range scale.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗