Signatures of Polar Metal Phase in the Quasi-2D Electron System in PLD-Grown Amorphous-Epitaxial Oxide Heterostructures

DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c03409

Open Access

A. Sambri, Y. Chen, F. Mazzola, E. Di Gennaro, A. Rubano, M. Rath, D. Paparo, M. Caputo, A. Chikina, D. Kumar, V. N. Strocov, M. Salluzzo, F. Miletto Granozio
Year of Publication: 2025

For years, itinerant charge carriers in ferroelectric insulators were believed to completely quench ferroelectricity. Recent breakthroughs, however, demonstrated the existence of a novel class of quasi-two-dimensional polar metals with promising applications in nonvolatile electronics and spintronics. Here, by combining temperature-dependent magnetotransport measurements, optical second harmonic generation (SHG), resonant photoemission spectroscopy (ResPES), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), we report on the properties of a BaTiO3-based oxide heterostructure, sustaining a persistent polar displacement in the BaTiO3 layer while supporting a two-dimensional electron gas. This suggests that the oxide heterostructure may operate as a polar metal system, paving the way for new developments in oxide-based electronics.

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