Two-dimensional Frank–van-der-Merwe growth of functional oxide and nitride thin film superlattices by pulsed laser deposition

• Published in: Journal of materials research Vol. 32; no. 21; pp. 3936 - 3946
• Main Authors: Lorenz, Michael, Wei, Haoming, Jung, Florian, Hohenberger, Stefan, Hochmuth, Holger, Grundmann, Marius, Patzig, Christian, Selle, Susanne, Höche, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 14.11.2017; Springer International Publishing; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Annealing; Applied and Technical Physics; Barium titanates; Biomaterials; Density functional theory; Epitaxial growth; Etching; Heating; Inorganic Chemistry; Insulators; Invited Review; Lasers; Materials Engineering; Materials research; Materials Science; Metal-insulator transition; Metamaterials; Nanotechnology; Phase transitions; Pulsed laser deposition; Single crystals; Superlattices; Temperature; Thickness; Thin films; oxide; thin film; nitride
• ISSN: 0884-2914; 2044-5326
• DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2017.266

Pulsed laser deposition is one of the most flexible growth methods for high-quality epitaxial multifunctional thin films and short-period superlattices. The following examples of current research interest demonstrate the state-of-the art: First, it is shown that the magnetoelectric performance of multiferroic BiFeO3–BaTiO3 (001)-oriented superlattices depends on the crystalline coherence of the different layers at the interfaces. Second, it is exemplified that dielectric-plasmonic superlattices built from the electrically insulating oxide MgO and the metallically conducting nitride TiN are promising metamaterials with hyperbolic dispersion. As a third example, it is demonstrated that LaNiO3- and LaMnO3-based superlattices with (001)-, (011)-, and (111)-out-of-plane orientation and controlled single layer thickness from 2 to 15 atomic monolayers show metal-insulator transitions and tunable gaps, in partial agreement with density functional theory calculations. Underlined by these examples, it is shown that the precise control of an epitaxially coherent, or two-dimensional layer-by-layer growth, named after Jan van der Merwe, is a prerequisite to achieve the desired functionality of oxide–oxide and oxide–nitride superlattices.