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Polar Metal Phase Induced by Oxygen Octahedral Network Relaxation in Oxide Thin Films
Author(s) -
Roh Chang Jae,
Jung MyungChul,
Kim Jeong Rae,
Go KyoungJune,
Kim Jinkwon,
Oh Ho Jun,
Jo YongRyun,
Shin Yeong Jae,
Choi Jeong Gi,
Kim BongJoong,
Noh Do Young,
Choi SiYoung,
Noh Tae Won,
Han Myung Joon,
Lee Jong Seok
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.202003055
Subject(s) - materials science , tetragonal crystal system , perovskite (structure) , condensed matter physics , ferroelectricity , thin film , ferromagnetism , orthorhombic crystal system , phase (matter) , colossal magnetoresistance , oxide , octahedron , phase boundary , chemical physics , magnetoresistance , crystallography , nanotechnology , crystal structure , chemistry , optoelectronics , dielectric , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , magnetic field , metallurgy
ABO 3 perovskite materials and their derivatives have inherent structural flexibility due to the corner sharing network of the BO 6 octahedron, and the large variety of possible structural distortions and strong coupling between lattice and charge/spin degrees of freedom have led to the emergence of intriguing properties, such as high‐temperature superconductivity, colossal magnetoresistance, and improper ferroelectricity. Here, an unprecedented polar ferromagnetic metal phase in SrRuO 3 (SRO) thin films is presented, arising from the strain‐controlled oxygen octahedral rotation (OOR) pattern. For compressively strained SRO films grown on SrTiO 3 substrate, oxygen octahedral network relaxation is accompanied by structural phase separation into strained tetragonal and bulk‐like orthorhombic phases, and the asymmetric OOR evolution across the phase boundary allows formation of the polar phase, while bulk metallic and ferromagnetic properties are maintained. From the results, it is expected that other oxide perovskite thin films will also yield similar structural environments with variation of OOR patterns, and thereby provide promising opportunities for atomic scale control of material properties through strain engineering.