Domain nucleation across the metal-insulator transition of self-strained V2O3 films

Pofelski, Alexandre; Valencia, Sergio; Kalcheim, Yoav; Salev, Pavel; Rivera, Alberto; Huang, Chubin; Mawass, Mohamad Assaad; Kronast, Florian; Schuller, Ivan K.; Zhu, Yimei; del Valle, Javier

doi:10.1103/physrevmaterials.8.035003

Domain nucleation across the metal-insulator transition of self-strained V2 O3 films

Journal Article · Wed Mar 27 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Physical Review Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevmaterials.8.035003· OSTI ID:2340730

^[1]; ^[2]; Kalcheim, Yoav ^[3]; ^[4]; Rivera, Alberto ^[5]; ^[3]; ^[6]; Kronast, Florian ^[2]; Schuller, Ivan K. ^[7]; ^[1]; ^[8]

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), (Germany). German Research Centre for Materials and Energy
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa (Israel)
Univ. of Denver, CO (United States)
Complutense Univ. of Madrid (Spain)
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), (Germany). German Research Centre for Materials and Energy; Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin (Germany)
Univ. of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)
Univ. of Oviedo (Spain)

Bulk V₂O₃ features concomitant metal-insulator (MIT) and structural (SPT) phase transitions at T_C ~ 160 K. In thin films, where the substrate clamping can impose geometrical restrictions on the SPT, the epitaxial relation between the V₂O₃ film and substrate can have a profound effect on the MIT. Here we present a detailed characterization of domain nucleation and growth across the MIT in (001)-oriented V₂O₃ films grown on sapphire. By combining scanning electron transmission microscopy (STEM) and photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM), we imaged the MIT with planar and vertical resolution. We observed that upon cooling, insulating domains nucleate at the top of the film, where strain is lowest, and expand downwards and laterally. This growth is arrested at a critical thickness of 50 nm from the substrate interface, leaving a persistent bottom metallic layer. As a result, the MIT cannot take place in the interior of films below this critical thickness. However, PEEM measurements revealed that insulating domains can still form on a very thin superficial layer at the top interface. Our results demonstrate the intricate spatial complexity of the MIT in clamped V₂O₃, especially the strain-induced large variations along the c axis. Finally, engineering the thickness-dependent MIT can provide an unconventional way to build out-of-plane geometry devices by using the persistent bottom metal layer as a native electrode.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Quantum Materials for Energy Efficient Neuromorphic Computing (Q-MEEN-C)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division (MSE); European Union (EU)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0012704; SC0019273

OSTI ID:: 2340730

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2473914

Report Number(s):: BNL--225554-2024-JAAM

Journal Information:: Physical Review Materials, Journal Name: Physical Review Materials Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 8; ISSN 2475-9953

Publisher:: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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