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The plume expansion dynamics strongly affects the growth and the chemistry of pulsed laser deposited thin films. The interaction with the background gas determines the kinetic energy of the species impinging on the substrate, their angular broadening, the plasma chemistry, and eventually the cations stoichiometric ratio in oxide films. Here, we exploit two-dimensional, spectrally resolved plume imaging to characterize the diverse effects of the oxygen background pressure on the expansion dynamics of La, Ga, and LaO species during pulsed laser deposition of LaGaO3. The propagation of the ablated species towards the substrate is studied for background oxygen pressures ranging from high vacuum up to ≈10-1 mbar. Our experimental results show specie-dependent effects of the background gas on the angular distribution of the precursors within the plume. These findings suggest that even in the presence of a stoichiometric ablation and of a globally stoichiometric plume, cations off-stoichiometry can take place in the forefront portion of the plume impinging on the substrate. We show that such effect can be compensated by a proper choice of process parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs) at the interface between LaAlO3 (LAO) and SrTiO3 (STO) perovskite oxides display a wide class of tunable phenomena ranging from superconductivity to metal-insulator transitions. Most of these effects are strongly sensitive to surface physics and often involve charge transfer mechanisms, which are, however, hard to detect. In this work, we realize hybrid field-effect devices where graphene is used to modulate the transport properties of the LAO/STO 2DES. Different from a conventional gate, graphene is semimetallic and allows us to probe charge transfer with the oxide structure underneath the field-effect electrode. In LAO/STO samples with a low initial carrier density, graphene-covered regions turn insulating when the temperature is lowered to 3 K, but conduction can be restored in the oxide structure by increasing the temperature or by field effect. The evolution of graphene’s electron density is found to be inconsistent with a depletion of LAO/STO, but it rather points to a localization of interfacial carriers in the oxide structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe some general features in the transient behaviour of strongly correlated transition metal oxides, following ultrafast excitation by a femtosecond laser pulse. Our analysis is based on time-resolved reflectivity measurements on (V1-xCrx)2O3, a prototype Mott-Hubbard material, and the manganite compound (La0.67Sr0.33)MnO3, performed over a time window of several tenths of ps. We point out the contribution of coherent lattice oscillations-both optical and acoustic-to the overall signal, and show how they can depend on the crystallographic orientation of the material with respect to the laser beam wavevector and polarisation. In particular, an acoustic wave is always found to be present in our measurements, and we show that its oscillating behaviour is superposed to the average time evolution of the material, which can be instead related in different ways to its electronic properties and thermodynamic phase. All these effects are to be taken into account in any further analysis leading to the estimation of relevant physical parameters for correlated materials, and they appear to play a significant role not only for reflectivity techniques, but also in other kinds of ultrafast pump-probe experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have designed an experiment that could allow to investigate, on the same sample, the interplay between the morphological anisotropy of high critical temperature superconductors and the effects related to the order parameter symmetry. To this aim we have employed c-axis tilt biepitaxial grain boundary YBa2Cu3O 7 - δ Josephson junctions and measured the junction properties for different junction interface orientations. The results give evidence of the possibility to tune normal state resistance and critical current density of a Josephson junction almost independently of each other. We interpret the results of this experiment as an indication that Cooper pairs and quasi-particles transport properties may be ruled by different mechanisms. Measurements apparently give evidence of the possibility to determine to some extent the presence of “ π-loops” and “0” loops along the same grain boundary line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(110) and (103) YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7] films have been grown onto exact and vicinal (110) SrTiO[sub 3] substrates, and on vicinal (110) MgO substrates with a SrTiO[sub 3] buffer layer. The samples are carefully characterised by reciprocal space mapping with x-ray diffraction, in order to investigate the features of the typical double domain of (110) and (103) YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7] structure. It is demonstrated that vicinal cut substrates allow to select one film/substrate epitaxial relation. The growth properties of these thin films deposited on vicinal surfaces are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concepts and experimental procedures to obtain different types of YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7] grain boundaries Josephson junctions through the biepitaxial technique have been developed. Various seed layers (MgO, CeO[sub 2] and SrTiO[sub 3]) and substrates (MgO, SrTiO[sub 3]) have been used providing, for the biepitaxial technique, additional flexibility in circuit design. A detailed investigation on transport properties evidenced good performances for both junctions and superconducting quantum interference devices. Experimental evidence is given of a conventional magnetic field behavior in 45° tilt Artificial Grain Boundary (AGB) for which no π-loops are predicted along the interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

YBCO step-edge junction d.c. SQUIDs have been realized by using the Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron Sputtering (ICMS) technique. This last represents a novel technology for high- T Josephson junctions (HTSC). Steps are obtained by standard ion milling procedure on LaAlO (100) substrates using Nb-masks patterned by reactive ion etching. Measurements of current vs. voltage, maximum d.c. Josephson current vs. magnetic field and SQUID voltage response measurements have been performed, also as a function of the temperature. Operating temperature as high as 77K has been achieved. At 4.2K the SQUIDs show a maximum voltage of flux transfer function ∂ V/∂ φ = 870μV/ Φ and a good periodicity of the V-ϕ modulation up to 20 Φ without any sign of hysteresis. The ratio between the step height ( h) and the film thickness ( d) seems to play a fundamental role in determining Josephson properties of the bridges, these conditions being more severe with respect to most of the data available in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulsed laser deposition of SrTiO3/LaGaO3 and SrTiO3/LaAlO3 interfaces is analyzed with a focus on the kinetic energy of the ablated species. LaGaO3 and LaAlO3 plasma plumes were studied by fast photography and space-resolved optical emission spectroscopy. Reflection high energy electron diffraction was performed proving a layer-by-layer growth up to 10-1 mbar oxygen pressure. The role of the energetic plasma plume on the two-dimensional growth and on the presence of interfacial defects at different oxygen growth pressures is discussed in connection with the conducting properties of the polar/nonpolar interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effects of the substrate-heater temperature on the expansion dynamics of laser plumes of complex oxides in oxygen atmosphere. We observed a considerable reduction of the background gas resistance to plume propagation as the substrate temperature was increased, leading to a remarkable change in the velocity of the species impacting the substrate during film growth. The deposition temperature thus influences film growth not only through its direct thermal effect on surface kinetics of adatoms, but also by affecting the energetic properties of the precursors in the gas phase. We interpret the results with a simplified model of plume front propagation, accounting for the change in the background gas density induced by the substrate temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have performed experiments on current-induced domain wall (DW) displacement in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 nanostructures patterned by gallium (Ga) focused-ion-beam milling. A dc current is found to assist or hinder, according to polarity, an external magnetic field in the depinning of a DW trapped in a nanoconstriction. For large enough currents, the DW depinning occurs in the absence of external magnetic field. The depinning current depends on the transverse anisotropy constant of the region toward which the DW is displaced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic and magnetotransport properties of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/Permalloy heterostructures are investigated. La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 films were grown on (110) SrTiO3 in order to induce an in-plane anisotropy with the easy axis along the [001] direction. An easy axis of magnetization was induced in the Permalloy in the same direction through the application of a magnetic field during the growth. The magnetic characterization of the bilayer is presented and discussed. The transport properties of devices operated in the current perpendicular to plane mode are shown. The possibility of fabricating magnetoresistive devices by simply depositing a ferromagnetic counterelectrode on a manganite film is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The voltage-spectral density SV (f) of the 2-dimensional electron gas formed at the interface of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 has been thoroughly investigated. The low-frequency component has a clear 1/f behavior with a quadratic bias current dependence, attributed to resistance fluctuations. However, its temperature dependence is inconsistent with the classical Hooge model, based on carrier-mobility fluctuations. The experimental results are, instead, explained in terms of carrier-number fluctuations, due to an excitation-trapping mechanism of the 2-dimensional electron gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate pulsed laser deposition of LaGaO3/SrTiO3 at 10-1 mbar oxygen background pressure, demonstrating the critical effect of the target-to-substrate distance, dTS, on the interface sheet resistance, Rs. The interface turns from insulating to metallic by progressively decreasing dTS. The analysis of the LaGaO3 plume evidences the important role of the plume propagation dynamics on the interface properties. These results demonstrate the growth of conducting interfaces at an oxygen pressure of 10-1 mbar, an experimental condition where a well-oxygenated heterostructures with a reduced content of oxygen defects is expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the structural, magnetic, and transport properties of LaAlO3/EuTiO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures grown by pulsed laser deposition. The samples are characterized in situ by electron diffraction and scanning probe microscopy and ex situ by transport measurements and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. LaAlO3/EuTiO3/SrTiO3 films show a ferromagnetic transition at T ⩽ 7.5 K, related to the ordering of Eu2+ spins, even in samples characterized by just two EuTiO3 unit cells. A finite metallic conductivity is observed only in the case of samples composed by one or two EuTiO3 unit cells and, simultaneously, by a LaAlO3 thickness greater than or equal to four unit cells. The effect of ferromagnetic EuTiO3 on the transport properties of δ-doped LaAlO3/EuTiO3/SrTiO3 is critically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical second harmonic generation (SHG) spectra of LaA1O3/SrTiO3, LaGaO3/SrTiO3,andNdGaO3/SrTiO3 interfaces with SrTiO3 substrates have been measured up to 4.2 eV as a function of film thickness and temperature. This spectral range is characterized by two-photon transitions from the valence to conduction bands of SrTiO3 which are classified with a model based on symmetry, selection rules, and atomic orbital overlaps. This model is further confirmed in spectral measurements as a function of film thickness, material overlayer, and temperature. SHG enhancement at low temperature indicates an increase of the interfacial polarity with decreasing temperature. This confirms the relation between SHG and the spatial translation of Ti ions which are more prone to move at lower temperatures because of the quantum-paraelectric nature of SrTiO3. We finally show that SHG spectroscopy captures structural details of the interfaces. In particular, we find evidence for proximity effects such as LaA1O3-induced distortions of the TiO6 octahedra or bond buckling. We also observe a correlation between SHG and the in-plane lattice mismatch between the SrTiO3 substrate and the LaA1O3, LaGaO3, and NdGaO3 overlayers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy studies of time-resolved optical reflectivity of all- oxide YBa2Cu3O7/La07Sr0.3MnO3 (YBCO/LSMO) superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) bilayers consisting of a 100-nm-thick YBCO base layer and either 10 or 35 nm LSMO cap thickness. At temperatures far below the YBCO superconducting transition Tc, samples with a 10 nm F overlayer show a photoresponse that is similar to, but faster than, pure-YBCO, 100-nm-thick reference samples, while close to Tc and above (up to ∼ 160 K) we observe a signature of both the electronic and spin response that cannot be interpreted as an incoherent sum of contributions from the two layers. The photoresponse of the S/F structures with the 35-nm LSMO layer always qualitatively follows that of the pure LSMO, but with a shorter relaxation time. In all cases, the YBCO/LSMO nonequilibrium dynamics can be modeled using a generalized multitemperature model, which is a superposition of the dynamics of the three-temperature models that are used to describe the superconductor and ferromagnet subsystems, respectively. The long term of the photoresponse signal of the S/F bilayer can be well fitted with the two characteristic relaxation times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase-sensitive, spatially resolved optical second-harmonic-generation experiments were performed on LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures. Lateral inhomogeneities on a length scale of ≈ 30 μm are found when a one-unit-cell-thick epitaxial monolayer of LaAIO3 is grown on TiO2-terminated SrTiO3 single crystals. The inhomogeneity is absent in samples with LaAlO33 layers of more than one unit cell. The results are discussed in the framework of electronic, oxidic, and chemical inhomogeneities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polarization induced at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface has been explored by optical second harmonic generation (SHG) spectroscopy. Our data reveal that an orbital reconstruction of the SrTiO3 surface occurs when three epitaxial monolayers of LaAlO3 are deposited on top of it. The reconstruction manifests as a spectral modification of a Ti4+(3d) state at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface which is accompanied by a displacement of the Ti4+ ions in adjacent SrTiO3 monolayers in order to compensate for the polarization discontinuity induced at the interface. According to the SHG experiment, the carriers transferred to the interface are trapped because in spite of the orbital reconstruction, the interface remains insulating. The onset of conductivity with the formation of a two-dimensional electron liquid appears to be a subordinate effect related to a minority of carriers and occurs upon further increase of the LaAlO3 coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]