Onset of metallic behavior in strained (LaNiO{sub 3}){sub + n}/(SrMnO{sub 3}){sub 2} superlattices.

Journal Article · Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2009 · Phys. Rev. B

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.79.115127· OSTI ID:952924

May, S J; Santos, T S; Bhattacharya, A

(LaNiO{sub 3}){sub n}/(SrMnO{sub 3}){sub 2} superlattices were grown using ozone-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and x-ray scattering has been used to characterize the structural properties of the superlattices, which are strained to the SrTiO{sub 3} substrates. The superlattices exhibit excellent crystallinity and interfacial roughness of less than 1 unit cell. A metal-insulator transition is observed as n is decreased from 4 to 1. Analysis of the transport data suggests an evolution from gapped insulator (n=1) to hopping conductor (n=2) to metal (n=4) with increasing LaNiO{sub 3} concentration.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC); Digital Synthesis FWP
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 952924
• Report Number(s): ANL/MSD/JA-63052; TRN: US200914%%155
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. B, Vol. 79, Issue Mar. 2009; ISSN 1098-0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ELECTRON DIFFRACTION
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
REFLECTION
ROUGHNESS
SCATTERING
SUBSTRATES
SUPERLATTICES
TRANSPORT