Interface dipole between two metallic oxides caused by localized oxygen vacancies

Journal Article

Borisevich, A.Y, A.R Lupini, J He, E.A Eliseev, A.N Morozovska, G.S Svechnikov, P Yu, Y.-H Chu, Ramamoorthy Ramesh, S.T Pantelides, S.V Kalinin, S.J Pennycook

10.1103/PhysRevB.86.140102

Oxygen vacancies are increasingly recognized to play a role in phenomena observed at transition-metal oxide interfaces. Here, we report a study of SrRuO 3 and La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3 interfaces using a combination of quantitative aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and density functional calculations. Cation displacements are observed at the interface, indicative of a dipolelike electric field even though both materials are nominally metallic. The observed displacements are reproduced by theory if O vacancies are present in the near-interface La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3 layers. The results suggest that atomic-scale structural mapping can serve as a quantitative indicator of the presence of O vacancies at interfaces. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

86

2012

10980121

cited By 38

Ramesh Lab