CAREER: Spin-Dependent Transport at Oxide Interfaces Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

技术描述：这一职业项目的主要研究目标是探索在分子束外延沉积技术提供的原子级精度下创建不同氧化物之间的界面时出现的新物理现象，该技术能够比其他沉积方法更好地控制化学计量比和界面的终止。由不同价态和多铁性的钙钛矿氧化物组成的异质结构的合成、原位和非原位表征被用来(A)定制界面的电子性质，并调查预测的二维电子气的存在和界面处的金属-绝缘体-转变；(B)研究新型氧化物的外延生长和稳定；(C)使用集成的外延生长的氧化物作为隧道势垒和自旋过滤器，研究磁性纳米结构中氧化物界面上已建立的二维电子气的自旋注入和自旋输运特性。科学成果的成功实施可能为基于杂化材料界面的新技术平台奠定基础。它可以导致氧化物技术的大规模使用，并有可能开启一个高度集成的基于氧化物的充电和自旋电子的新时代。教育和外联项目活动影响并造福于社会，办法是：通过“动手”暑期讲习班吸收高中科学教师从事材料科学研究；引起当地主要是西班牙裔社区的注意，并通过“科学开放之家”倡议让他们参与科学研究；招募和吸引高中生和本科生参与研究，促进他们对科学方法和推理的理解；培训和留住下一代物理学家和材料科学家；利用机构中的少数族裔学生人才库，提高科学学科的多样性水平。

Technical Description: The overarching research goal of this CAREER project is to explore new physical phenomena that emerge when interfaces between different oxides are created with atomic-scale precision as afforded by the Molecular Beam Epitaxy deposition technique, which enables better control of stoichiometry and termination of the interfaces than other deposition methods. Synthesis, in-situ and ex-situ characterization of heterostructures consisting of perovskite oxides with different valence and multiferroic properties are used to (a) tailor the electronic properties of the interfaces and to investigate the presence of a predicted 2-dimensional electron gas and the metal-insulator-transition at the interfaces; (b) study the epitaxial growth and stabilization of novel oxides; (c) investigate spin injection and the spin transport properties of the established 2-dimensional electron gas at oxide interfaces in magnetic nanostructures using integrated, epitaxially grown oxides as tunnel barriers and spin filters.Non-technical Description: The project involves materials growth and characterization, and explores new interfacial phenomena. The successful implementation of the scientific findings could lay the foundation for a new technology platform based on the interfaces of hybrid materials. It can lead to a large-scale use of oxide technology and has the potential to usher in a new era of highly integrated oxide-based charge and spin electronics. The educational and outreach project activities impact and benefit the society by engaging high-school science teachers in materials science research through a "hands-on" summer workshop; attracting the attention of the local, largely Hispanic community and exposing them in scientific research through a "Science Open House" initiative; recruiting and engaging high-school and undergraduate students into research, fostering their understanding of scientific methodology and reasoning; training and retaining the next generation of physicists and materials scientists; leveraging the institutional pool of minority students to increase the level of diversity in scientific disciplines.