Charge Transfer in Iridate-Manganite Superlattices.

Okamoto, Satoshi; Nichols, John; Sohn, Changhee; Kim, So Yeun; Noh, Tae Won; Lee, Ho Nyung · Nano Lett · 2017

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Charge transfer in superlattices consisting of SrIrO<sub>3</sub> and SrMnO<sub>3</sub> is investigated using density functional theory. Despite the nearly identical work function and nonpolar interfaces between SrIrO<sub>3</sub> and SrMnO<sub>3</sub>, rather large charge transfer was experimentally reported at the interface between them. Here, we report a microscopic model that captures the mechanism behind this phenomenon, providing a qualitative understanding of the experimental observation. This leads to unique strain dependence of such charge transfer in iridate-manganite superlattices. The predicted behavior is consistently verified by experiment with soft X-ray and optical spectroscopy. Our work thus demonstrates a new route to control electronic states in nonpolar oxide heterostructures.