Harish Kumarasubramanian and Jayakanth Ravichandran, researchers at the University of Southern California, have developed a new method to better understand and control the chemical states in complex oxide thin films. These films are crucial for developing advanced electronic, optical, and magnetic devices. The researchers’ work, published in the journal Applied Physics Letters, focuses on using in situ Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) to monitor and control the chemical processes during the growth of these complex oxide heterostructures.
Complex oxide thin films are known for their unique electronic, optical, and magnetic properties, which emerge from phenomena like two-dimensional electron gases and interfacial magnetism. To harness these properties effectively, it is essential to understand and control the chemical states both within the bulk of the material and at its interfaces. The researchers demonstrated that in situ AES can be a powerful tool for this purpose.
AES is highly sensitive to subtle changes in the valence electron populations, allowing it to distinguish different oxidation states in multivalent perovskite systems, such as manganates and vanadates, with high accuracy during the deposition process. This capability is crucial for engineering the desired properties in these materials. Additionally, the researchers observed dynamic chemical phenomena, specifically charge transfer processes at the interface between polar and nonpolar materials, such as LaMnO3 and SrTiO3.
The ability to monitor and control these chemical processes during thin film growth opens up new possibilities for atomic-scale engineering of chemical states in functional oxide heterostructures. This could lead to the development of more advanced and efficient electronic, optical, and magnetic devices. The researchers’ work establishes in situ AES as a valuable diagnostic tool for the energy industry, particularly in the field of materials science and thin film technology.
The research was published in the journal Applied Physics Letters, a publication of the American Institute of Physics. This work highlights the importance of advanced diagnostic tools in the development of next-generation energy technologies.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.