Strain-mediated metal-insulator transition in epitaxial ultra-thin films of NdNiO3

Jian Liu; M. Kareev; B. Gray; J. W. Kim; P. Ryan; B. Dabrowski; J. W. Freeland; J. Chakhalian

doi:10.1063/1.3451462

paper

Strain-mediated metal-insulator transition in epitaxial ultra-thin films of NdNiO3

arXiv:1003.3073 · doi:10.1063/1.3451462

Abstract

We have synthesized epitaxial NdNiO $_{3}$ ultra-thin films in a layer-by-layer growth mode under tensile and compressive strain on SrTiO $_{3}$ (001) and LaAlO $_{3}$ (001), respectively. A combination of X-ray diffraction, temperature dependent resistivity, and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been applied to elucidate electronic and structural properties of the samples. In contrast to the bulk NdNiO $_{3}$ , the metal-insulator transition under compressive strain is found to be completely quenched, while the transition remains under the tensile strain albeit modified from the bulk behavior.

4 pages, 4 figures