No Arabic abstract
At the LaAlO$_3$-SrTiO$_3$ interface, electronic phase transitions can be triggered by modulation of the charge carrier density, making this system an excellent prospect for the realization of versatile electronic devices. Here, we report repeatable transistor operation in locally gated LaAlO$_3$-SrTiO$_3$ field-effect devices of which the LaAlO$_3$ dielectric is only four unit cells thin, the critical thickness for conduction at this interface. This extremely thin dielectric allows a very efficient charge modulation of ${sim}3.2times10^{13}$ cm$^{-2}$ within a gate-voltage window of $pm1$ V, as extracted from capacitance-voltage measurements. These also reveal a large stray capacitance between gate and source, presenting a complication for nanoscale device operation. Despite the small LaAlO$_3$ thickness, we observe a negligible gate leakage current, which we ascribe to the extension of the conducting states into the SrTiO$_3$ substrate.
The possible existence of short-channel effects in oxide field-effect transistors is investigated by exploring field-effect transistors with various gate lengths fabricated from LaAlO$_3$-SrTiO$_3$ heterostructures. The studies reveal the existence of channel-length modulation and drain-induced barrier lowering for gate lengths below 1 {mu}m, with a characteristic behavior comparable to semiconducting devices. With the fabrication of field-effect transistors with gate lengths as small as 60 nm the results demonstrate the possibility to fabricate by electron-beam lithography functional devices based on complex oxides with characteristic lengths of several ten nanometers.
A number of recent studies indicate that the charge conduction of the LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ interface at low temperature is confined to filaments which are linked to structural domain walls in the SrTiO$_3$ with drastic consequences for example for the temperature dependence of local transport properties. We demonstrate that as a consequences of this current carrying filaments on the nano-scale the magnetotransport properties of the interface are highly anisotropic. Our magnetoresistance measurements reveal that the magnetoresistance in different nanostructures ($<500nm$) is random in magnitude and sign, respectively. Warming up nanostructures above the structural phase transition temperature (105K) results in the significant change in MR. Even a sign change of the magnetoresistance is possible. The results suggest that domain walls that are differently oriented with respect to the surface exhibit different respective magnetoresistance and the total magnetoresistance is a result of a random domain wall pattern formed during the structural phase transition in the SrTiO$_3$ at cool down.
Multiple experiments have observed a sharp transition in the band structure of LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ (001) interfaces as a function of applied gate voltage. This Lifshitz transition, between a single occupied band at low electron density and multiple occupied bands at high density, is remarkable for its abruptness. In this work, we propose a mechanism by which such a transition might happen. We show via numerical modeling that the simultaneous coupling of the dielectric polarization to the interfacial strain (electrostrictive coupling) and strain gradient (flexoelectric coupling) generates a thin polarized layer whose direction reverses at a critical density. The Lifshitz transition occurs concomitantly with the polarization reversal and is first-order at $T=0$. A secondary Lifshitz transition, in which electrons spread out into semiclassical tails, occurs at a higher density.
Localization of electrons in the two-dimensional electron gas at the LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ interface is investigated by varying the channel thickness in order to establish the nature of the conducting channel. Layers of SrTiO$_3$ were grown on NdGaO$_3$ (110) substrates and capped with LaAlO$_3$. When the SrTiO$_3$ thickness is $leq 6$ unit cells, most electrons at the interface are localized, but when the number of SrTiO$_3$ layers is 8-16, the free carrier density approaches $3.3 times 10^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$, the value corresponding to charge transfer of 0.5 electron per unit cell at the interface. The number of delocalized electrons decreases again when the SrTiO$_3$ thickness is $geq 20$ unit cells. The $sim{4}$ nm conducting channel is therefore located significantly below the interface. The results are explained in terms of Anderson localization and the position of the mobility edge with respect to the Fermi level.
We report frictional drag measurements between two superconducting LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ nanowires. In these experiments, current passing through one nanowire induces a voltage across a nearby electrically isolated nanowire. The frictional drag signal contains both symmetric and antisymmetric components. The antisymmetric component arises from the rectification of quantum shot noise in the drive nanowire by the broken symmetry in the drag nanowire. The symmetric component in the drag resistance is ascribed to rectification of thermal noise in the drive nanowire during superconducting-normal transition. The suppression of the symmetric component is observed when a normal nanowire is used as either a drag or drive nanowire with the other nanowire superconducting. The absence of symmetric drag resistance between a normal drag nanowire and a superconducting drive nanowire suggests a higher electron-hole asymmetry in the superconducting LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ nanowire arising from the 1D nature of superconductivity at LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ interface.