Electronic-Reconstruction-Enhanced Tunneling Conductance at Terrace Edges of Ultrathin Oxide Films
- Authors
- Wang, Lingfei; Kim, Rokyeon; Kim, Yoonkoo; Kim, Choong H.; Hwang, Sangwoon; Cho, Myung Rae; Shin, Yeong Jae; Das, Saikat; Kim, Jeong Rae; Kalinin, Sergei V.; Kim, Miyoung; Yang, Sang Mo; Noh, Tae Won
- Issue Date
- Nov-2017
- Publisher
- WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
- Keywords
- electronic reconstruction; ferroelectricity; quantum tunneling; terrace edges; ultrathin oxide films
- Citation
- ADVANCED MATERIALS, v.29, no.44
- Journal Title
- ADVANCED MATERIALS
- Volume
- 29
- Number
- 44
- URI
- https://scholarworks.sookmyung.ac.kr/handle/2020.sw.sookmyung/5073
- DOI
- 10.1002/adma.201702001
- ISSN
- 0935-9648
1521-4095
- Abstract
- Quantum mechanical tunneling of electrons across ultrathin insulating oxide barriers has been studied extensively for decades due to its great potential in electronic-device applications. In the few-nanometers-thick epitaxial oxide films, atomic-scale structural imperfections, such as the ubiquitously existed one-unit-cell-high terrace edges, can dramatically affect the tunneling probability and device performance. However, the underlying physics has not been investigated adequately. Here, taking ultrathin BaTiO3 films as a model system, an intrinsic tunneling-conductance enhancement is reported near the terrace edges. Scanning-probe-microscopy results demonstrate the existence of highly conductive regions (tens of nanometers wide) near the terrace edges. First-principles calculations suggest that the terrace-edge geometry can trigger an electronic reconstruction, which reduces the effective tunneling barrier width locally. Furthermore, such tunneling-conductance enhancement can be discovered in other transition metal oxides and controlled by surface-termination engineering. The controllable electronic reconstruction can facilitate the implementation of oxide electronic devices and discovery of exotic low-dimensional quantum phases.
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