Dimensionality-driven metal-insulator-transition in spin-orbit coupled SrIrO${}_3$

Abstract

Upon reduction of the film thickness we observe a metal-insulator transition in epitaxially stabilized, spin-orbit coupled SrIrO${}_3$ ultrathin films. By comparison of the experimental electronic dispersions with density functional theory at various levels of complexity we identify the leading microscopic mechanisms, i.e., a dimensionality-induced re-adjustment of octahedral rotations, magnetism, and electronic correlations. The astonishing resemblance of the band structure in the two-dimensional limit to that of bulk Sr${}_2$IrO${}_4$ opens new avenues to unconventional superconductivity by "clean" electron doping through electric field gating.

arXiv comment6 pages, 4 figures, cf. arXiv:1706.08901 for a recent complementary study

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Cited by in corpus (34)

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• Berry phase engineering at oxide interfaces
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• Probing Emergent Surface and Interfacial Properties in Complex Oxides via in situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
• Balanced electron-hole transport in spin-orbit semimetal SrIrO3 heterostructures
• Novel spin-orbit coupling driven emergent states in iridate-based heterostructures
• Coupling lattice instabilities across the interface in ultrathin oxide heterostructures
• Structural properties and anisotropic electronic transport in SrIrO3 films
• Electron-polaron dichotomy of charge carriers in perovskite oxides
• Nodal-chain network, intersecting nodal rings and triple points coexisting in nonsymmorphic Ba3Si4
• Perovskite oxide heterojunction for Rashba-Dresselhaus assisted antiferromagnetic spintronics
• Abrupt Enhancement of Spin-Orbit Scattering Time in Ultrathin Semimetallic SrIrO${}_3$ Close to the Metal-Insulator Transition
• Spin-orbit effects in pentavalent Iridates: Models and materials
• Anomalous Magnetoresistance due to Longitudinal Spin Fluctuations in a Jeff = 1/2 Mott Semiconductor
• Spin-orbit coupling driven insulating state in hexagonal iridates Sr3MIrO6 (M = Sr, Na and Li)
• Interface induced exchange bias effect in La${}_{0.67}$Sr${}_{0.33}$MnO${}_3$/SrIrO${}_3$ multilayer
• Controlling the electronic interface properties of AlO${}_x$/SrTiO${}_3$ heterostructures
• Isostructural Metal-Insulator Transition Driven by Dimensional-Crossover in SrIrO3 Heterostructures
• Toward Functionalized Ultrathin Oxide Films: the Impact of Surface Apical Oxygen
• Suppression of twinning and enhanced electronic anisotropy of SrIrO3 films
• Lateral modulation of magnetic anisotropy in tricolor 3d-5d oxide superlattices
• Magnetotransport of SrIrO3 films on (110) DyScO3
• Band unfolding with a general transformation matrix: from code implementation to interpretation of photoemission spectra
• Evidence for weak antilocalization-weak localization crossover and metal-insulator transition in CaCu${}_3$Ru${}_4$O${}_{12}$ thin films
• Anomalous pressure dependence of the electronic transport and anisotropy in SrIrO3 films
• Growth facets of SrIrO3 Thin Films and Single Crystals
• Hidden structural transition in epitaxial Ca${}_{0.5}$Sr${}_{0.5}$IrO${}_3$/SrTiO${}_3$ thin film
• Inducing ferromagnetism by structural engineering in a strongly spin-orbit coupled oxide
• Strain tunable electronic ground states in two-dimensional iridate thin films
• Observation of metallic electronic structure in a single-atomic-layer oxide
• Growth-sequence-dependent interface magnetism of SrIrO${}_3$ - La${}_{0.7}$Sr${}_{0.3}$MnO${}_3$ bilayers
• Coexistence of insulator-like paramagnon and metallic spin-orbit exciton modes in SrIrO${}_3$
• Asymmetric magnetoresistance in 3$d$-5$d$ based La${}_{0.67}$Ca${}_{0.33}$MnO${}_3$/SrIrO${}_3$ bilayer: The role of unidirectional anisotropy