Interface properties and built-in potential profile of a LaCrO3/SrTiO3 superlattice determined by standing-wave excited photoemission spectroscopy

Lin, S. -C.; Kuo, C. -T.; Comes, R. B.; Rault, J. E.; Rueff, J. -P.; Nemšák, S.; Taleb, A.; Kortright, J. B.; Meyer-Ilse, J.; Gullikson, E.; Sushko, P. V.; Spurgeon, S. R.; Gehlmann, M.; Bowden, M. E.; Plucinski, L.; Chambers, S. A.; Fadley, C. S.

doi:10.1103/physrevb.98.165124

Title: Interface properties and built-in potential profile of a $LaCr O_{3} / SrTi O_{3}$ superlattice determined by standing-wave excited photoemission spectroscopy

Journal Article · 14 October 2018 · Physical Review B

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.98.165124 · OSTI ID:1563966

Lin, S. -C. ^[1]; Kuo, C. -T. ^[1]; Comes, R. B. ^[2]; Rault, J. E. ^[3]; Rueff, J. -P. ^[3]; Nemšák, S. ^[4]; Taleb, A. ^[3]; Kortright, J. B. ^[5]; Meyer-Ilse, J. ^[5]; Gullikson, E. ^[5]; Sushko, P. V. ^[6]; Spurgeon, S. R. ^[6]; Gehlmann, M. ^[7]; Bowden, M. E. ^[6]; Plucinski, L. ^[8]; Chambers, S. A. ^[6]; Fadley, C. S. ^[1]

Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Auburn Univ., Auburn, AL (United States)
Synchrotron SOLEIL, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
Peter Grünberg Institut PGI-6, Julich (Germany); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Peter Grünberg Institut PGI-6, Julich (Germany)
Peter Grünberg Institut PGI-6, Julich (Germany)

LaCrO₃(LCO)/SrTiO₃(STO) heterojunctions are intriguing due to a polar discontinuity along [001], exhibiting two distinct and controllable charged interface structures [(LaO)⁺/(TiO₂)⁰ and (SrO)⁰/(CrO₂)^-] with induced polarization, and a resulting depth-dependent potential. In this study, we have used soft- and hard-x-ray standing-wave excited photoemission spectroscopy (SW-XPS) to quantitatively determine the elemental depth profile, interface properties, and depth distribution of the polarization-induced built-in potentials. We observe an alternating charged interface configuration: a positively charged (LaO)⁺/(TiO₂)⁰ intermediate layer at the LCO_top/STO_bottom interface and a negatively charged (SrO)⁰/(CrO₂)^- intermediate layer at the STO_top/LCO_bottom interface. Using core-level SW data, we have determined the depth distribution of species, including through the interfaces, and these results are in excellent agreement with scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy mapping of local structure and composition. SW-XPS also enabled deconvolution of the LCO and STO contributions to the valence-band (VB) spectra. Using a two-step analytical approach involving first SW-induced core-level binding-energy shifts and then VB modeling, the variation in potential across the complete superlattice is determined in detail. As a result, this potential is in excellent agreement with density functional theory models, confirming this method as a generally useful tool for interface studies.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1563966

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1478562; OSTI ID: 1489034

Journal Information:: Physical Review B, Journal Name: Physical Review B Journal Issue: 16 Vol. 98; ISSN 2469-9950; ISSN PRBMDO

Publisher:: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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