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Title: Chemical potential shift and gap-state formation in SrTiO{sub 3−δ} revealed by photoemission spectroscopy

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4892397· OSTI ID:22314549
; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012 (India)

In this study, we report on investigations of the electronic structure of SrTiO{sub 3} annealed at temperature ranging between 550 and 840 °C in an ultrahigh vacuum. Annealing induced oxygen vacancies (O{sub vac}) impart considerable changes in the electronic structure of SrTiO{sub 3}. Using core-level photoemission spectroscopy, we have studied the chemical potential shift (Δμ) as a function of annealing temperature. The result shows that the chemical potential monotonously increases with electron doping in SrTiO{sub 3−δ}. The monotonous increase of the chemical potential rules out the existence of electronic phase separation in the sample. Using valence band photoemission, we have demonstrated the formation of a low density of states at the near Fermi level electronic spectrum of SrTiO{sub 3−δ}. The gap-states were observed by spectral weight transfer over a large energy scale of the stoichiometric band gap of SrTiO{sub 3} system leading finally to an insulator-metal transition. We have interpreted our results from the point of structural distortions induced by oxygen vacancies.

OSTI ID:
22314549
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 116, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English