Dynamic Atomic Reconstruction: How Fe_{3}O_{4} Thin Films Evade Polar Catastrophe for Epitaxy

Autor: C. F. Chang, Z. Hu, S. Klein, X. H. Liu, R. Sutarto, A. Tanaka, J. C. Cezar, N. B. Brookes, H.-J. Lin, H. H. Hsieh, C. T. Chen, A. D. Rata, L. H. Tjeng
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Physical Review X, Vol 6, Iss 4, p 041011 (2016)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2160-3308
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.6.041011
Popis: Polar catastrophe at the interface of oxide materials with strongly correlated electrons has triggered a flurry of new research activities. The expectations are that the design of such advanced interfaces will become a powerful route to engineer devices with novel functionalities. Here, we investigate the initial stages of growth and the electronic structure of the spintronic Fe_{3}O_{4}/MgO(001) interface. Using soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy, we have discovered that the so-called A-sites are completely missing in the first Fe_{3}O_{4} monolayer. This discovery allows us to develop an unexpected but elegant growth principle in which, during deposition, the Fe atoms are constantly on the move to solve the divergent electrostatic potential problem, thereby ensuring epitaxy and stoichiometry at the same time. This growth principle provides a new perspective for the design of interfaces.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals