Search

Proximity effect between superconductors and ferromagnets may become long range due to the generation of triplet pairs. The recent finding of a long one micron-range unconventional Josephson effect between YBa2Cu3O7 High Tc cuprates separated by a half metallic La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 manganite ferromagnet has uncovered a novel unconventional triplet proximity effect. In this paper we examine the temperature dependence of the critical current of planar Josephson junctions. We find that the critical current –normal resistance product follows the predictions of traditional superconductor-normal metal-superconductor junctions which implies that triplet pairs in a ferromagnet are transported in the diffusive limit similarly to singlet pairs in a normal metal. This result calls for theoretical studies of the new triplet Josephson effect and underlines its potential in future superconducting spintronics.

Spin-pumping across ferromagnet/superconductor (F/S) interfaces has attracted much attention lately. Yet the focus has been mainly on s-wave superconductors-based systems whereas (high-temperature) d-wave superconductors such as YBa2Cu3O7-d (YBCO) have received scarce attention despite their fundamental and technological interest. Here we use wideband ferromagnetic resonance to study spin-pumping effects in bilayers that combine a soft metallic Ni80Fe20 (Py) ferromagnet and YBCO. We evaluate the spin conductance in YBCO by analyzing the magnetization dynamics in Py. We find that the Gilbert damping exhibits a drastic drop as the heterostructures are cooled across the normal-superconducting transition and then, depending on the S/F interface morphology, either stays constant or shows a strong upturn. This unique behavior is explained considering quasiparticle density of states at the YBCO surface, and is a direct consequence of zero-gap nodes for particular directions in the momentum space. Besides showing the fingerprint of d-wave superconductivity in spin-pumping, our results demonstrate the potential of high-temperature superconductors for fine tuning of the magnetization dynamics in ferromagnets using k-space degrees of freedom of d-wave/F interfaces., Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures

Ruddlesden–Popper oxides, (AO)(ABO3) n , occupy a prominent place in the landscape of materials research because of their intriguing potential applications. Compositional modifications to the cation sublattices, A or B, have been explored in order to achieve enhanced functionalities. However, changes to the anionic sublattice have been much less explored. In this work, new oxygen-deficient manganese Ruddlesden–Popper-related phases, La0.5Ca2.5Mn2O6.5 and La0.5Ca2.5Mn2O6.25, have been synthesized by controlled reduction of the fully oxidized n = 2 term La0.5Ca2.5Mn2O7. A complete structural and compositional characterization, by means of neutron diffraction, electron diffraction and atomically resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy techniques, allows the proposition of a topotactic reduction pathway through preferential oxygen removal in the [MnO2] layers along [031] and [0{\bar 1}3] directions. The gradual decrease of the Mn oxidation state, accommodated by short-range ordering of anionic vacancies, reasonably explains the breaking of ferromagnetic interactions reinforcing the emergence of antiferromagnetic ones. Additional short-range order–disorder phenomena of La and Ca cations have been detected in the reduced La0.5Ca2.5Mn2O7−δ, as previously reported in the parent compound.

The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) is an intriguing transport phenomenon occurring typically in ferromagnets as a consequence of broken time reversal symmetry and spin-orbit interaction. It can be caused by two microscopically distinct mechanisms, namely, by skew or side-jump scattering due to chiral features of the disorder scattering, or by an intrinsic contribution directly linked to the topological properties of the Bloch states. Here we show that the AHE can be artificially engineered in materials in which it is originally absent by combining the effects of symmetry breaking, spin orbit interaction and proximity-induced magnetism. In particular, we find a strikingly large AHE that emerges at the interface between a ferromagnetic manganite (La_(0.7)Sr_(0.3)MnO_3) and a semimetallic iridate (SrIrO_3). It is intrinsic and originates in the proximity-induced magnetism present in the narrow bands of strong spin-orbit coupling material SrIrO_3, which yields values of anomalous Hall conductivity and Hall angle as high as those observed in bulk transition-metal ferromagnets. These results demonstrate the interplay between correlated electron physics and topological phenomena at interfaces between 3d ferromagnets and strong spin-orbit coupling 5d oxides and trace an exciting path towards future topological spintronics at oxide interfaces. The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) occurs in ferromagnets caused by intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. Here, Yoo et al. report large anomalous Hall conductivity and Hall angle at the interface between a ferromagnet La_(0.7)Sr_(0.3M)nO_3 and a semimetallic SrIrO_3, due to the interplay between correlated physics and topological phenomena.

International audience; Superconductor/Ferromagnet (S/F) hybrid systems show interesting magneto-transport behaviors that result from the transfer of properties between both constituents. For instance, magnetic memory can be transferred from the F into the S through the pinning of superconducting vortices by the ferromagnetic textures. The ability to tailor this type of induced behavior is important to broaden its range of application. Here we show that engineering the F magnetization reversal allows tuning the strength of the vortex pinning (and memory) effects, as well as the field range in which they appear. This is done by using magnetic multilayers in which Co thin films are combined with different heavy metals (Ru, Ir, Pt). By choosing the materials, thicknesses, and stacking order of the layers, we can design the characteristic domain size and morphology, from out-of-plane magnetized stripe domains to much smaller magnetic skyrmions. These changes strongly affect the magneto-transport properties. The underlying mechanisms are identified by comparing the experimental results to a magnetic pinning model. * javier.villegas@cnrs-thales.fr 2

The persistence of ferroelectricity in ultrathin layers relies critically on screening or compensation of polarization charges which otherwise destabilize the ferroelectric state. At surfaces, charged defects play a crucial role in the screening mechanism triggering novel mixed electrochemical-ferroelectric states. At interfaces, however, the coupling between ferroelectric and electrochemical states has remained unexplored. Here, we make use of the dynamic formation of the oxygen vacancy profile in the nanometer-thick barrier of a ferroelectric tunnel junction to demonstrate the interplay between electrochemical and ferroelectric degrees of freedom at an oxide interface. We fabricate ferroelectric tunnel junctions with a ${\mathrm{La}}_{0.7}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.3}{\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ bottom electrode and ${\mathrm{BaTiO}}_{3}$ ferroelectric barrier. We use poling strategies to promote the generation and transport of oxygen vacancies at the metallic top electrode. Generated oxygen vacancies control the stability of the ferroelectric polarization and modify its coercive fields. The ferroelectric polarization, in turn, controls the ionization of oxygen vacancies well above the limits of thermodynamic equilibrium, triggering the build up of a Schottky barrier at the interface which can be turned on and off with ferroelectric switching. This interplay between electronic and electrochemical degrees of freedom yields very large values of the electroresistance (more than ${10}^{6}%$ at low temperatures) and enables a controlled switching between clockwise and counterclockwise switching modes in the same junction (and consequently, a change of the sign of the electroresistance). The strong coupling found between electrochemical and electronic degrees of freedom sheds light on the growing debate between resistive and ferroelectric switching in ferroelectric tunnel junctions, and moreover, can be the source of novel concepts in memory devices and neuromorphic computing.

International audience; In transition metal perovskites (ABO3) most physical properties are tunable by structural parameters such as the rotation of the BO6 octahedra. Examples include the Néel temperature of orthoferrites, the conductivity of mixed-valence manganites, or the band gap of rare-earth scan-dates. Since oxides often host large internal electric dipoles and can accommodate heavy elements, they also emerge as prime candidates to display Rashba spin-orbit coupling, through which charge and spin currents may be efficiently interconverted. However, despite a few experimental reports in SrTiO3-based interface systems, the Rashba interaction has been little studied in these materials, and its interplay with structural distortions remain unknown. In this Letter, we identify a bismuth-based perovskite with a giant, electrically-switchable Rashba interaction whose amplitude can be controlled by both the ferroelectric polarization and the breathing mode of oxygen octahedra. This particular structural parameter arises from the strongly covalent nature of the Bi-O bonds, reminiscent of the situation in perovskite nickelates. Our results not only provide novel strategies to craft agile spin-charge converters but also highlight the relevance of covalence as a powerful handle to design emerging properties in complex oxides.

Magnetoelectric coupling in artificial multiferroic interfaces can be drastically affected by the switching of oxygen vacancies and by the inversion of the ferroelectric polarization. Disentangling both effects is of major importance toward exploiting these effects in practical spintronic or spinorbitronic devices. We report on the independent control of ferroelectric and oxygen vacancy switching in multiferroic tunnel junctions with a La_(0.7)Sr_(0.3)MnO_3 bottom electrode, a BaTiO_3 ferroelectric barrier, and a Ni top electrode. We show that the concurrence of interface oxidation and ferroelectric switching allows for the controlled inversion of the interface spin polarization. Moreover, we show the possibility of a spin-memristor where the controlled oxidation of the interface allows for a continuum of memresistance states in the tunneling magnetoresistance. These results signal interesting new avenues toward neuromorphic devices where, as in practical neurons, the electronic response is controlled by electrochemical degrees of freedom.

This work reports on magnetocapacitance (MC) effects in epitaxial heterostructures of nominally 15 unit cells (u.c.) LaMnO3 (LMO) and 2 u.c. SrTiO3 (STO) with an alternating layer-repetition rate of 8: (LMO15/STO2)8. Epitaxial multilayer growth at high temperatures (900 °C) activates a selective inter-diffusion of La3+ and Sr2+ cations across the interfaces, which gives rise to Sr p-doping of the LMO and La n-doping of the STO layers. MC effects at the buried La1–xSrxMnO3/SrxLa1–xTiO3 (LSMO/SLTO) interfaces are probed by frequency, temperature and magnetic field dependent AC impedance spectroscopy. The technique is shown to be appropriate to account for the separate analysis of different resistance and capacitance contributions at the buried interfaces. As a result of the La/Sr inter-diffusion process, Schottky barriers are formed at the LSMO/SLTO interfaces, which give rise to massive MC of up to ≈ −200% in the out-of-plane film direction. The capacitance of the manganite-titanate LSMO/SLTO interfaces may be coupled indirectly to the resistance of the LSMO layers, because the Schottky space-charge layers and their capacitance can be modulated by varying the concentration of highly mobile charge carriers in the LSMO with a magnetic field.

When ferromagnetic films become ultrathin, key properties such as the Curie temperature and the saturation magnetization are usually depressed. This effect is thoroughly investigated in magnetic oxides such as half-metallic manganites, but much less in ferrimagnetic insulating perovskites such as rare-earth titanates RTiO3 , despite their appeal to design correlated 2D electron gases. Here, the magnetic properties of epitaxial DyTiO3 thin films are reported. While films thicker than about 50 nm show a bulk-like response, at low thickness a surprising increase of the saturation magnetization is observed. This behavior is described using a classical model of a "dead layer" but assuming that this layer is actually "living," that is, it responds to the magnetic field with a strong paramagnetic susceptibility. Through depth-dependent X-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy, it is shown that the "living-dead layer" corresponds to surface regions where magnetic (S = 1/2) Ti3+ ions are replaced by nonmagnetic Ti4+ ions. Hysteresis cycles at the Dy M 5 and Ti L 3 edges indicate that the surface Ti4+ ions decouple the Dy3+ ions, thus unleashing their strong paramagnetic response. Finally, it is shown how capping the DyTiO3 film can help increase the Ti3+ content near the surface and thus recover a better ferrimagnetic behavior.

At interfaces between conventional materials, band bending and alignment are classically controlled by differences in electrochemical potential. Applying this concept to oxides in which interfaces can be polar and cations may adopt a mixed valence has led to the discovery of novel two-dimensional states between simple band insulators such as LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. However, many oxides have a more complex electronic structure, with charge, orbital and/or spin orders arising from correlations between transition metal and oxygen ions. Strong correlations thus offer a rich playground to engineer functional interfaces but their compatibility with the classical band alignment picture remains an open question. Here we show that beyond differences in electron affinities and polar effects, a key parameter determining charge transfer at correlated oxide interfaces is the energy required to alter the covalence of the metaloxygen bond. Using the perovskite nickelate (RNiO3) family as a template, we probe charge reconstruction at interfaces with gadolinium titanate GdTiO3. X-ray absorption spectroscopy shows that the charge transfer is thwarted by hybridization effects tuned by the rare-earth (R) size. Charge transfer results in an induced ferromagnetic-like state in the nickelate, exemplifying the potential of correlated interfaces to design novel phases. Further, our work clarifies strategies to engineer two-dimensional systems through the control of both doping and covalence., Work supported by ERC Consolidator grant MINT (Contract No. 615759)

Ferroelectric field-effect doping has emerged as a powerful approach to manipulate the ground state of correlated oxides, opening the door to a different class of field-effect devices. However, this potential is not fully exploited so far, since the size of the field-effect doping is generally much smaller than expected. Here we study the limiting factors through magnetotransport and scanning transmission electron and piezoresponse force microscopy in ferroelectric/superconductor (YBa₂Cu₃O_(7-δ)/BiFeO₃) heterostructures, a model system showing very strong field effects. Still, we find that they are limited in the first place by an incomplete ferroelectric switching. This can be explained by the existence of a preferential polarization direction set by the atomic terminations at the interface. More importantly, we also find that the field-effect carrier doping is accompanied by a strong modulation of the carrier mobility. Besides making quantification of field effects via Hall measurements not straightforward, this finding suggests that ferroelectric poling produces structural changes (e.g., charged defects or structural distortions) in the correlated oxide channel. Those findings have important consequences for the understanding of ferroelectric field effects and for the strategies to further enhance them.

The peculiar features of domain walls observed in ferroelectrics make them promising active elements for next-generation non-volatile memories, logic gates and energy-harvesting devices. Although extensive research activity has been devoted recently to making full use of this technological potential, concrete realizations of working nanodevices exploiting these functional properties are yet to be demonstrated. Here, we fabricate a multiferroic tunnel junction based on ferromagnetic LaSrMnO electrodes separated by an ultrathin ferroelectric BaTiO tunnel barrier, where a head-to-head domain wall is constrained. An electron gas stabilized by oxygen vacancies is confined within the domain wall, displaying discrete quantum-well energy levels. These states assist resonant electron tunnelling processes across the barrier, leading to strong quantum oscillations of the electrical conductance., Work supported by Spanish MINECO through grants MAT2014-52405-C02-01 and MAT2014-52405-C02-02, MAT2015-066888-C3-1-R, MAT2015-066888-C3-3-R (MINECO/FEDER) and CAM S2013/MIT-2740. Research at ORNL sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Basic Energy Sciences (BES), M.V. acknowledges support from Fundación BBVA. G.S. and M.C. acknowledge support from ERC Starting Investigator Grant #239739 STEMOX. J.I.B. acknowledges the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES) and CeSViMa (project FI-2016-2-0006). J.S. thanks Université Paris Saclay (DÁlembert Program) and CNRS for financing his stay at CNRS Thales.

The magnetoresistance (MR) effect is widely employed in technologies that pervade our world from magnetic reading heads to sensors. Diverse contributions to MR, such as anisotropic, giant, tunnel, colossal, and spin-Hall, are revealed in materials depending on the specific system and measuring configuration. Half-metallic manganites hold promise for spintronic applications but the complexity of competing interactions has not permitted the understanding and control of their magnetotransport properties to enable the realization of their technological potential. Here we report on the ability to induce a dominant switchable magnetoresistance in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 epitaxial films, at room temperature (RT). By engineering an extrinsic magnetic anisotropy, we show a large enhancement of anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) which leads to, at RT, signal changes much larger than the other contributions such as the colossal magnetoresistance (CMR). The dominant extrinsic AMR exhibits large variation in the resistance in low field region, showing high sensitivity to applied low magnetic fields. These findings have a strong impact on the real applications of manganite based devices for the high-resolution low field magnetic sensors or spintronics., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures

Using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy with atomic-scale spatial resolution, experimental evidence for charge transfer at the interface between the Mott insulators Sm2CuO4 and LaFeO3 is obtained. As a consequence of the charge transfer, the Sm2CuO4 is doped with electrons and thus epitaxial Sm 2CuO4/LaFeO3 heterostructures become metallic. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim., Work at UCM supported by Spanish MICINN Grant MAT 2011 27470, Consolider Ingenio CSD2009-00013 (IMAGINE), CAM S2009-MAT 1756 (PHAMA) and ERC starting Investigator Award, grant #239739 STEMOX. R.S. wishes to acknowledge the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) for granting a Ramon y Cajal Fellowship.

The new field of nano-ionics is expected to yield large improvements in the performance of oxide-based energy generation and storage devices based on exploiting size effects in ion conducting materials. The search for novel materials with enhanced ionic conductivity for application in energy devices has uncovered an exciting new facet of oxide interfaces. With judicious choice of the constituent materials, oxide heterostructures can exhibit enhanced ion mobility compared to the bulk counterparts. Here we review recent experimental and theoretical progress on enhancement of oxide-ion conductivity arising in oxide ultrathin layers and at their interfaces, and describe the different scenarios, space-charge effects, epitaxial strain, and atomic reconstruction at the interface, proposed to account for the observed conductivity enhancement

© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Memristive switching serves as the basis for a new generation of electronic devices. Conventional memristors are two-terminal devices in which the current is turned on and off by redistributing point defects, e.g., vacancies. Memristors based on alternative mechanisms have been explored, but achieving both high on/off ratio and low switching energy, as needed in applications, remains a challenge. This study reports memristive switching in La0.7Ca0.3MnO3/PrBa2Cu3O7bilayers with an on/off ratio greater than 103and results of density functional theory calculations in terms of which it is concluded that the phenomenon is likely the result of a new type of interfacial magnetoelectricity. More specifically, this study shows that an external electric field induces subtle displacements of the interfacial Mn ions, which switches on/off an interfacial magnetic “dead layer”, resulting in memristive behavior for spin-polarized electron transport across the bilayer. The interfacial nature of the switching entails low energy cost, about of a tenth of atto Joule for writing/erasing a “bit”. The results indicate new opportunities for manganite/cuprate systems and other transition metal oxide junctions in memristive applications.

The penetration of a superconducting current from a superconductor into a half-metallic ferromagnet is usually forbidden. Resonances in the conductance spectra of superconductor/half-metal heterostructures suggest this restriction is lifted by the occurrence of unconventional equal-spin Andreev reflection.

In the version of this Letter originally published, Hiroshi Kohno’s affiliation was incorrectly listed as Department of Earth and Space Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan; it should have been Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan. This has been corrected in all versions of the Letter.

In artificial multiferroics hybrids consisting of ferromagnetic La_(0.7)Sr_(0.3)MnO_(3) (LSMO) and ferroelectric BaTiO_(3) epitaxial layers, net Ti moments are found from polarized resonant soft x-ray reflectivity and absorption. The Ti dichroic reflectivity follows the Mn signal during the magnetization reversal, indicating exchange coupling between the Ti and Mn ions. However, the Ti dichroic reflectivity shows stronger temperature dependence than the Mn dichroic signal. Besides a reduced ferromagnetic exchange coupling in the interfacial LSMO layer, this may also be attributed to a weak Ti-Mn exchange coupling that is insufficient to overcome the thermal energy at elevated temperatures.

We report on the influence of structural disorder on the oxide-ion conductivity of Dy2(Ti1� yZry)2O7 (y = 0.55 and 0.90). A significant disorder is induced by mechanical milling synthesis of the samples, and, depending on the Zr/Ti, a partial and progressive structural ordering can be achieved by subsequent annealing at temperatures between 800 and 1500 C. Ionic conductivity is relatively high for both compositions (up to 10 � 4 S/cm at 900 K), and the activation energies for dc conductivity (in the range 1.02–1.32 eV) are found to be larger in samples with more structural disorder. This result is quantitatively explained, by using Ngai’s coupling model, in terms of the enhancement of interactions between mobile oxygen vacancies in a more disordered structure. 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The design of artificial vortex pinning landscapes is a major goal toward large scale applications of cuprate superconductors. Although disordered nanometric inclusions have shown to modify their vortex phase diagram and to produce enhancements of the critical current (MacManus-Driscoll, J. L.; Foltyn, S. R.; Jia, Q. X.; Wang, H.; Serquis, A.; Civale, L.; Maiorov, B.; Hawley, M. E.; Maley, M. P.; Peterson, D. E. Nat. Mater. 2004, 3, 439?443 and Yamada, Y.; Takahashi, K.; Kobayashi, H.; Konishi, M.; Watanabe, T.; Ibi, A.; Muroga, T.; Miyata, S.; Kato, T.; Hirayama, T.; Shiohara, Y. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2005, 87, 1-3), the effect of ordered oxide nanostructures remains essentially unexplored. This is due to the very small nanostructure size imposed by the short coherence length, and to the technological difficulties in the nanofabrication process. Yet, the novel phenomena occurring at oxide interfaces open a wide spectrum of technological opportunities to interplay with the superconductivity in cuprates. Here, we show that the unusual long-range suppression of the superconductivity occurring at the interface between manganites and cuprates affects vortex nucleation and provides a novel vortex pinning mechanism. In particular, we show evidence of commensurate pinning in YBCO films with ordered arrays of LCMO ferromagnetic nanodots. Vortex pinning results from the proximity induced reduction of the condensation energy at the vicinity of the magnetic nanodots, and yields an enhanced friction between the nanodot array and the moving vortex lattice in the liquid phase. This result shows that all-oxide ordered nanostructures constitute a powerful, new route for the artificial manipulation of vortex matter in cuprates., Work at UCM supported by grants MAT2014-52405-C02-01 and Consolider Ingenio 2010-CSD2009-00013 (Imagine), by CAM through grant CAM S2013/MIT-2740. Work done at ICMM supported by Spanish MINECO (Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness) grants MAT2011-27470-C02-02, MAT2014-52405-C02-02, and Consolider Ingenio CSD2009-00013 (Imagine). J.V. acknowledges European Research Council, ERC, grant No. 647100 “SUSPINTRONICS”.

Iron oxychloride has been lithiated by the reaction with n -butyllithium and thereafter exposed to air. Lithium intercalation increases several orders of magnitude of the electrical conductivity of the pristine material although the intercalate remains a semiconductor. This phase, after being exposed to atmospheric humidity becomes an ionic conductor, with a conductivity comparable to that of some molten salts, and does not show electronic conduction in the whole range of temperatures of measurement (150–300 K), a strong non-Arrhenius behaviour being observed. Impedance spectroscopy and NMR techniques, among others, have been used to follow this behaviour.

Different compositions in a solid solution of general formula Dy2(Ti1−yZry)2O7, showing high oxygen ion conductivity, have been successfully prepared at room temperature via mechanochemical synthesis. Stoichiometric mixtures of the constituent oxides were dry milled together in a planetary ball mill by using zirconia vials and balls. Chemical changes in the powder mixtures as a function of composition and milling time were followed by X-ray diffraction and revealed that, in all cases and after milling for 19 h, the powder mixtures consisted of a single phase. Electrical properties were measured on sintered pellets as a function of frequency, temperature and zirconium content, revealing an increase in conductivity of more than one order of magnitude for y ⩾ 0.4 , which, as observed in the similar Y2(Ti1−yZry)2O7, has been related with the onset of disordering of the anion sublattice. Despite increasing structural disorder with increasing Zr content, conductivity remains almost constant for y > 0.6 , reaching a maximum value of ∼5×10−3 for Dy2Zr2O7 at 900 °C.

The structure of interfaces in superconducting/ferromagnetic YBa2Cu3O7−x/La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 superlattices has been analyzed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and high spatial resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. Individual layers are flat over long lateral distances. The interfaces are coherent, free of defects, exhibiting no roughness, and are located at the BaO plane of the superconductor. Concerning chemical disorder, EELS measurements show the absence of measurable chemical interdiffusion within experimental error bars.

At interfaces between complex oxides, electronic, orbital and magnetic reconstructions may produce states of matter absent from the materials involved, offering novel possibilities for electronic and spintronic devices. Here we show that magnetic reconstruction has a strong influence on the interfacial spin selectivity, a key parameter controlling spin transport in magnetic tunnel junctions. In epitaxial heterostructures combining layers of antiferromagnetic LaFeO(3) (LFO) and ferromagnetic La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3) (LSMO), we find that a net magnetic moment is induced in the first few unit planes of LFO near the interface with LSMO. Using X-ray photoemission electron microscopy, we show that the ferromagnetic domain structure of the manganite electrodes is imprinted into the antiferromagnetic tunnel barrier, endowing it with spin selectivity. Finally, we find that the spin arrangement resulting from coexisting ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions strongly influences the tunnel magnetoresistance of LSMO/LFO/LSMO junctions through competing spin-polarization and spin-filtering effects.

We obtained quantitative values of all significant parameters describing the roughness of Fe-Cr superlattices, both in the lateral and growth directions, by statistical analysis of energy-filtered transmis- sion electron microscopy images using cross section samples. These results are in good agreement with the complementary low-angle X-ray scattering measurements. The interface roughness of sputtered Fe-Cr superlattices was changed systematically by varying Ar-pressure during the growth and the number of the bilayers. By scaling local window size we obtained the dependence of the saturated roughness and its correlation lengths in both the lateral and growth directions. The roughness and its correlation lengths (lateral and perpendicular) increase with pressure. However correlation length in the lateral is constant with bilayer index for low-pressure sputtered samples

La 0.67 Ca 0.33 MnO 3 - δ thin films were deposited using a high-pressure dc-sputtering process. Pure oxygen at a pressure of 3.8 mbar was used as sputtering gas. The films were grown on (001) LaAlO 3 and (001) SrTiO 3 substrates at heater temperature of 850° without any annealing treatment. The formation of highly a-axis-oriented films with sharp interface with substrate surface is demonstrated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis. Electrical characterization revealed a metal–insulator transition at T MI = 276 K, and magnetic characterization showed good magnetic properties with a PM–FM transition at TC ≈ 262 K.

Controlling magnetic anisotropy is an important objective towards engineering novel magnetic device concepts in oxide electronics. In thin film manganites, magnetic anisotropy is weak and it is primarily determined by the substrate, through induced structural distortions resulting from epitaxial mismatch strain. On the other hand, in cobaltites, with a stronger spin orbit interaction, magnetic anisotropy is typically much stronger. In this paper, we show that interfacing LaSrMnO (LSMO) with an ultrathin LaCoO (LCO) layer drastically modifies the magnetic anisotropy of the manganite, making it independent of the substrate and closer to the magnetic isotropy characterizing its rhombohedral structure. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements evidence a tendency of manganite magnetic moments to point out-of-plane suggesting non collinear magnetic interactions at the interface. These results may be of interest for the design of oxide interfaces with tailored magnetic structures for new oxide devices., Work at UCM supported by Spanish MINECO through Grant Nos. MAT2014-52405-C02-01 and MAT2014-52405-C02-02 and by CAM through Grant No. CAM S2013/MIT-2740. M.V. and M.C. acknowledge support from Fundación BBVA and from MINECO through Grant No. MAT2015-066888-C3-3-R. J.S. thanks the University Paris-Saclay (D’Alembert program) and CNRS for financing his stay at CNRS/Thales. T.F. acknowledges support from the Hungarian Research Fund OTKA No. K107228.

The fabrication of artificial materials by stacking of individual two-dimensional (2D) materials is amongst one of the most promising research avenues in the field of 2D materials. Moreover, this strategy to fabricate new man-made materials can be further extended by fabricating hybrid stacks between 2D materials and other functional materials with different dimensionality making the potential number of combinations almost infinite. Among all these possible combinations, mixing 2D materials with transition metal oxides can result especially useful because of the large amount of interesting physical phenomena displayed separately by these two material families. We present a hybrid device based on the stacking of a single layer MoS2 onto a lanthanum strontium manganite (La0.7Sr0.3MnO3) thin film, creating an atomically thin device. It shows a rectifying electrical transport with a ratio of 103, and a photovoltaic effect with V oc up to 0.4 V. The photodiode behaviour arises as a consequence of the different doping character of these two materials. This result paves the way towards combining the efforts of these two large materials science communities.

In this work we study the interfaces between the Mott insulator LaMnO3 (LMO) and the band insulator SrTiO3 (STO) in epitaxially grown superlattices with different thickness ratios and different transport and magnetic behaviors. Using atomic resolution electron energy-loss spectral imaging, we analyze simultaneously the structural and chemical properties of these interfaces. We find changes in the oxygen octahedral tilts within the LaMnO3 layers when the thickness ratio between the manganite and the titanate layers is varied. Superlattices with thick LMO and ultrathin STO layers present unexpected octahedral tilts in the STO, along with a small amount of oxygen vacancies. On the other hand, thick STO layers exhibit undistorted octahedra while the LMO layers present reduced O octahedral distortions near the interfaces. These findings are discussed in view of the transport and magnetic differences found in previous studies.

The solid solution La2/3−xLi3xTiO3 (0.03

Non-linear I-V characteristics have been measured on high-quality deoxygenated YBa2Cu3O6.4 thin films, in magnetic fields up to 8 T. Critical scaling analysis of the current-voltage data demonstrates the existence of a pure two-dimensional vortex-glass transition with Tg = 0 for high magnetic fields (7, 8 T). The validity of the pure 2D vortex-glass model in our samples is checked with the linear resistivity term and the non-linear current density. The linear resistivity ρlin(T) exp [ − (T0/T)p] from resistivity vs. temperature and current-voltage measurements, produces the parameters p (p = 0.78 for H = 7 T, p = 0.73 for H = 8 T) and T0 (230 K) used for the scaling analysis. The non-linear current density jnl exhibits a power law temperature dependence jnl(T) T3 suggesting ν2D = 2 as predicted by the 2D vortex-glass theory. The values of the exponent p obtained in this study are in good agreement with the predictions of the quantum theory of vortex tunneling.

Complex admittance measurements have been performed on α-NaFeO 2 and on the product Na 0.9 FeO 2 obtained by sodium extraction, both being polycrystalline powders. The electrical conductivity in both samples is proposed to be due to sodium ions hopping between octahedral positions through the adjacent, empty, tetrahedral ones characteristic of a rock-salt structural framework. The parent material shows an activation energy in the dc conductivity of 0.31 eV between 306 and 498 K. Removal of sodium, in spite of creating octahedral vacancies, results in lower conductivity values, and a higher activation energy of 0.58 eV in a similar temperature range.

The experimental data for the dielectric response of certain ionically conducting ceramics obtained by Kuhn and coworkers were re-interpreted using the “universal” dielectric formalism and the results reveal the presence of two well defined processes with power law exponents of –0.6 to –0.7 for the high-temperature, low-frequency branch and –0.3 and less for the low-temperature, high-frequency branch. The physical significance of these results is discussed in terms of transport in strongly anisotropic materials. © 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers

An analysis of electrical conductivity relaxation and nuclear magnetic resonance spin-lattice relaxation has been conducted to study the dynamics of the ionic diffusion process in the crystalline ionic conductor Li 0.5 La 0.5 TiO 3 . Dc conductivity shows a non-Arrhenius temperature dependence, similar to the one recently reported for some ionic conducting glasses. Taking into account this non-Arrhenius dependence for the relaxation times, spin-lattice and conductivity relaxations are compared in the same frequency and temperature ranges. A single “stretched exponential” relaxation function of the form f ( t )=exp(−( t / τ ) β ), with β =0.4, can be used to describe both relaxation processes in which correlation times differ in the preexponential factor.

We present complex admittance measurements on single-crystal yttria-stabilized zirconia and polycrystalline Li_(0.5)La_(0.5)TiO_(3) over the frequency range 5 Hz to 30 MHz and at temperatures ranging between 150 and 650 K. Electric-field relaxation in both fast ionic conductors can be described using Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts decay functions, but departures are observed at high frequencies and low temperatures. Electric modulus data obey the Dixon Nagel scaling that has been proposed to be universal in describing the relaxation processes in supercooled liquids. Our data provide broader universality to the Dixon-Nagel scaling, and are interpreted in terms of the influence of mobile ions positional disorder on the relaxation dynamics.

Electric-field control of magnetism has remained a major challenge which would greatly impact data storage technology. Although progress in this direction has been recently achieved, reversible magnetization switching by an electric field requires the assistance of a bias magnetic field. Here we take advantage of the novel electronic phenomena emerging at interfaces between correlated oxides and demonstrate reversible, voltage' driven magnetization switching without magnetic field. Sandwiching a non-superconducting cuprate between two manganese oxide layers, we find a novel form of magnetoelectric coupling arising from the orbital reconstruction at the interface between interfacial Mn spins and localized states in the CuO 2 planes. This results in a ferromagnetic coupling between the manganite layers that can be controlled by a voltage. Consequently, magnetic tunnel junctions can be electrically toggled between two magnetization states, and the corresponding spin' dependent resistance states, in the absence of a magnetic field., We acknowledge financial support by the Spanish MICINN through grants MAT2011-27470-C02 and Consolider Ingenio 2010–CSD2009-00013 (Imagine), by CAM through grant S2009/MAT-1756 (Phama) and by the ERC starting Investigator Award, grant #239739 STEMOX (G.S.-S.). Work at Argonne National Laboratory (Y.L. and S.G.E.t.V.) was supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. Research (J.F.) and X-ray experiments carried out at the Advanced Photon Source and X-ray experiments carried out at Advanced Light Source were supported by DOE, Office of Science, BES. We thank Masashi Watanabe for the Digital Micrograph PCA plug-in. Research at ORNL was sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (SO) and through the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), which is sponsored by the Scientific User Facilities Division, DOE-BES (MV). Research (MRF) and neutron scattering experiments at the Lujan Center for Neutron Scattering, the Los Alamos National Laboratory were supported by DOE, Office of Science, BES. the Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the Los Alamos National Security LLC under DOE Contract DE-AC52-06NA25396.

Electrical conductivity relaxation was measured in three different ionic conductors (yttria-stabilized zirconia, Li0.5La0.5TiO3 and Li0.5.5Na0.5La(Cr04)2), using the admittance spectroscopy technique. A study of the frequency dependence of the dielectric modulus is presented, which shows that the Havriliak-Negami dielectric functions describe the relaxation process accurately. This allows the use of an analytical distribution of relaxation times to determine the time decay function from admittance data in the frequency domain. Electrical conductivity relaxation of the measured ionic conductors has been analysed using this method showing strong non-Debye frequency behaviour and ‘stretched’-exponential Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts time decay functions. The results obtained are interpreted in terms of cooperative effects or correlation among ions. Activation energies for long- and short-range ion motion are deduced.

Here we study the electronic properties of cuprate/manganite interfaces. By means of atomic resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy, we produce a subnanometer scale map of the transition metal oxidation state profile across the interface between the high $T_c$ superconductor YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ and the colossal magnetoresistance compound (La,Ca)MnO$_3$. A net transfer of electrons from manganite to cuprate with a peculiar non-monotonic charge profile is observed. Model calculations rationalize the profile in terms of the competition between standard charge transfer tendencies (due to band mismatch), strong chemical bonding effects across the interface, and Cu substitution into the Mn lattice, with different characteristic length scales., Comment: 11+7 pages, 3+2 figures

Lithium ionic conductivity of Li_(0.5)La_(0.5)TiO_(3) has been studied using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and admittance spectroscopy (AS) techniques. Spin-lattice relaxation and electrical conductivity relaxation are well described in terms of stretched-exponential correlation functions in the time domain of the form φ(t) = exp(-(t/τ) (β), but showing different relaxation times scales (τ_(0) = 1.4 x 10^(-11) s from NMR and τ_(0) = 10^(-14) s from AS), and activation energies (0.15 and 0.4 eV, respectively). Different β exponents, 1 from spin lattice relaxation and 0.4 from electric-field relaxation have been also deduced. A microscopic activation energy for lithium motion of 0.15 eV is deduced from both techniques. Discrepancies between both techniques are analyzed and discussed in terms of frequency-dependent correlation effects.

La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 optimally doped epitaxial films were grown on ferroelectric BaTiO3 substrates. Electronic transport (magnetoresistance and electroresistance) and magnetic properties showed important anomalies in the temperature interval between 60 and 150 K, below the metal-insulator transition. Scanning probe microscopy revealed changes in BaTiO3 surface morphology at those temperatures. La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 thickness is a critical factor: 120-angstrom -thick films showed large anomalies sensitive to electric poling of the BaTiO3, whereas the behavior of 150-angstrom -thick films is closer to that of the reference La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 samples grown on SrTiO3. We propose that, through inhomogenous strain and electric polarization effects, the ferroelectric substrate induces an inhomogenous spin distribution in the magnetic layer. This would imply the coexistence of in-plane and out-of-plane ferromagnetic patches in La0.7Ca0.3MnO3, possibly interspersed with antiferromagnetic regions, as it has recently been theoretically predicted. Substrate poling effects are investigated, and a magnetoelectric coupling is demonstrated.

The existence of coherent magnetic correlations in the normal phase of cuprate high-temperature superconductors has proven difficult to measure directly. Here we report on a study of ferromagnetic-superconductor bilayers of La2/3Ca1/3MnO3/YBa2Cu3O7 (LCMO/YBCO) with varying YBCO layer thicknesses. Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we demonstrate that the ferromagnetic layer induces a Cu magnetic moment in the adjacent high-temperature superconductor. For thin samples, this moment exists at all temperatures below the Curie temperature of the LCMO layer. However, for a YBCO layer thicker than 12 unit cells, the Cu moment is suppressed for temperatures above the superconducting transition, suggesting this to be a direct measurement of magnetic coherence in the normal state of a superconducting oxide.

We report on the electrical transport properties of all-oxide La_(0.7)Ca_(0.3)MnO_(3)/SrTiO_(3):Nb heterojunctions with lateral size of just a few micrometers. The use of lithography techniques to pattern manganite pillars ensures perpendicular transport and allows exploration of the microscopic conduction mechanism through the interface. From the analysis of the current-voltage characteristics in the temperature range 20–280 K we find a Schottky-like behavior that can be described by a mechanism of thermally assisted tunneling if a temperature-dependent value of the dielectric permittivity of SrTiO_(3):Nb (NSTO) is considered. We determine the Schottky energy barrier at the interface, qVB = 1.10 ± 0.02 eV, which is found to be temperature independent, and a value of ξ = 17 ± 2 meV for the energy of the Fermi level in NSTO with respect to the bottom of its conduction band.

et al., We examine the anomalous inverse spin switch behavior in La 0.7Ca 0.3MnO 3(LCMO)/YBa 2Cu 3O 7-δ (YBCO)/LCMO trilayers by combined transport studies and polarized neutron reflectometry. Measuring magnetization profiles and magnetoresistance in an in-plane rotating magnetic field, we prove that, contrary to many accepted theoretical scenarios, the relative orientation between the two LCMO's magnetizations is not sufficient to determine the magnetoresistance. Rather the field dependence of magnetoresistance is explained by the interplay between the applied magnetic field and the (exponential tail of the) induced exchange field in YBCO, the latter originating from the electronic reconstruction at the LCMO/YBCO interfaces. © 2012 American Physical Society., Research at Argonne National Laboratory was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering under Grant No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. Work at UCM was supported by Spanish MICINN Grant No. MAT 2011 27470, Consolider Ingenio CSD2009-00013 (IMAGINE), CAM S2009-MAT 1756 (PHAMA). This work has benefited from the use of the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center at LANSCE, which is funded by the U. S. Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by Los Alamos National Security LLC under DOE through Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396

et al., The detection of true magnetocapacitance (MC) as a manifestation of magnetoelectric coupling (MEC) in multiferroic materials is a nontrivial task, because pure magnetoresistance (MR) of an extrinsic Maxwell-Wagner-type dielectric relaxation can lead to changes in capacitance. In order to clarify such difficulties involved with dielectric spectroscopy on multiferroic materials, we have simulated the dielectric permittivity ′ of two dielectric relaxations in terms of a series of one intrinsic film-type and one extrinsic Maxwell-Wagner-type relaxation. Such a series of two relaxations was represented in the frequency- (f-) and temperature- (T-) dependent notations ′ vs f and ′ vs T by a circuit model consisting in a series of two ideal resistor-capacitor (RC) elements. Such simulations enabled rationalizing experimental f-, T-, and magnetic field- (H-) dependent dielectric spectroscopy data from multiferroic epitaxial thin films of BiMnO 3 (BMO) and BiFeO 3 (BFO) grown on Nb-doped SrTiO 3. Concomitantly, the deconvolution of intrinsic film and extrinsic Maxwell-Wagner relaxations in BMO and BFO films was achieved by fitting f-dependent dielectric data to an adequate equivalent circuit model. Analysis of the H-dependent data in the form of determining the H-dependent values of the equivalent circuit resistors and capacitors then yielded the deconvoluted MC and MR values for the separated intrinsic dielectric relaxations in BMO and BFO thin films. Substantial intrinsic MR effects up to 65% in BMO films below the magnetic transition (T C 100 K) and perceptible intrinsic MEC up to -1.5% near T C were identified unambiguously. © 2012 American Physical Society., The authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) under GrantsNo.MAT2008-06761-C03, No.MAT2011-29269-C03, No. MAT2011-27470-C02, No. IMAGINE CSD2009-00013, No. CONSOLIDER INGENIO CSD2009-00013, Contract No. NANOSELECT CSD2007-00041, and from the Comunidad de Madrid through S2009-MAT1756 (PHAMA). R.S. and N.M.N. acknowledge the Ramón y Cajal program from the MICINN. Many thanks go to SSSS Ltd. for support with the data analysis.

et al., Direct evidence for charge leakage at the interface of epitaxial SrTiO 3/LaMnO3 superlattices with atomically sharp interfaces is provided. The direction of charge leakage can be reversed by changing the LMO/STO thickness ratio. This result will be important for the understanding of some of the reported limitations of oxide devices involving manganite/titanate interfaces. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim., Research at UCM was supported by MICINN grant MAT200806517.