Persistent modification of magnetotransport properties in LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} by gate-induced modification of structural domains

We investigate the influence of large electric fields on the transport properties of nanostructures patterned into the electron gas at the interface between LaAlO_{3} and SrTiO_{3} (100). In these nanostructures, the transport is largely dominated by domain walls between structural domains in the Sr...

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Main Authors: Mithun S. Prasad, Georg Schmidt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2023-03-01
Series:Physical Review Research
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.013166
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author Mithun S. Prasad
Georg Schmidt
author_facet Mithun S. Prasad
Georg Schmidt
author_sort Mithun S. Prasad
collection DOAJ
description We investigate the influence of large electric fields on the transport properties of nanostructures patterned into the electron gas at the interface between LaAlO_{3} and SrTiO_{3} (100). In these nanostructures, the transport is largely dominated by domain walls between structural domains in the SrTiO_{3} appearing below a structural phase transition temperature. We find that both positive and negative gate voltages applied in a side-gate configuration can induce persistent changes in the sample that are only reversed by warming through the phase transition. These changes include a resistance increase and a change in magnetoresistance in magnitude and sign. Furthermore, a resistance anomaly during warm-up that has been observed in the past can be further increased by briefly applying a side-gate voltage. These effects are typically observed in nanostructures below a certain size limit. The electric fields also increase this size limit from a few-hundred nm to more than 1 μm. All these observations can be consistently explained by a field-induced removal of specific domain-wall types accompanied by an increasing domain size and a reduced number of domain walls in the structures. The results not only show that under certain conditions domain walls can dominate the transport properties even of micron-sized structures, but they also provide an additional tuning knob to induce nonvolatile changes in the transport properties of LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} interfaces at low temperatures.
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spelling doaj.art-1edad6b9572445b3a090111df78b7e052024-04-12T17:29:08ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review Research2643-15642023-03-015101316610.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.013166Persistent modification of magnetotransport properties in LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} by gate-induced modification of structural domainsMithun S. PrasadGeorg SchmidtWe investigate the influence of large electric fields on the transport properties of nanostructures patterned into the electron gas at the interface between LaAlO_{3} and SrTiO_{3} (100). In these nanostructures, the transport is largely dominated by domain walls between structural domains in the SrTiO_{3} appearing below a structural phase transition temperature. We find that both positive and negative gate voltages applied in a side-gate configuration can induce persistent changes in the sample that are only reversed by warming through the phase transition. These changes include a resistance increase and a change in magnetoresistance in magnitude and sign. Furthermore, a resistance anomaly during warm-up that has been observed in the past can be further increased by briefly applying a side-gate voltage. These effects are typically observed in nanostructures below a certain size limit. The electric fields also increase this size limit from a few-hundred nm to more than 1 μm. All these observations can be consistently explained by a field-induced removal of specific domain-wall types accompanied by an increasing domain size and a reduced number of domain walls in the structures. The results not only show that under certain conditions domain walls can dominate the transport properties even of micron-sized structures, but they also provide an additional tuning knob to induce nonvolatile changes in the transport properties of LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} interfaces at low temperatures.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.013166
spellingShingle Mithun S. Prasad
Georg Schmidt
Persistent modification of magnetotransport properties in LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} by gate-induced modification of structural domains
Physical Review Research
title Persistent modification of magnetotransport properties in LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} by gate-induced modification of structural domains
title_full Persistent modification of magnetotransport properties in LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} by gate-induced modification of structural domains
title_fullStr Persistent modification of magnetotransport properties in LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} by gate-induced modification of structural domains
title_full_unstemmed Persistent modification of magnetotransport properties in LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} by gate-induced modification of structural domains
title_short Persistent modification of magnetotransport properties in LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} by gate-induced modification of structural domains
title_sort persistent modification of magnetotransport properties in laalo 3 srtio 3 by gate induced modification of structural domains
url http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.013166
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AT georgschmidt persistentmodificationofmagnetotransportpropertiesinlaalo3srtio3bygateinducedmodificationofstructuraldomains