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Modulating Spin Polarization and Spin-Orbit Interaction by Submonolayer Engineering at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Interfaces

Yan Hong1,*,‡, Marc-André Rose1, Zhaoting Zhang2, Ming Li3, Lisa Heymann1, Suqin He1, and Felix Gunkel1,†

  • 1Peter Grünberg Institut 7 and JARA-FIT, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich 52425, Germany
  • 2Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Condensed Matter Structures and Properties and MOE Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Chemistry under Extraordinary Conditions, School of Physical Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
  • 3College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jishou University, Hunan 416000, China

  • *yanhphy@163.com
  • †f.gunkel@fz-juelich.de
  • ‡Present address: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117551, Singapore.
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Phys. Rev. Applied 18, 034012 – Published 6 September, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.18.034012

Abstract

Recently, the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) interface has been highlighted as a major platform for spintronics, and its fundamental control of spin properties, therefore, becomes a key issue for application of this system. Here, we present a study showing the modulation of magnetic two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) with simultaneously enhanced spin-orbit interaction at the interface of LAO/STO by inserting LaCoO3 submonolayers. At first, transport experiments provide evidence that Kondo behavior can be well controlled below about 13 K with the interlayer Co ions contributing as scattering centers. In addition, the systematic variation of the anomalous Hall effect obtained with increasing fraction of interfacial Co concentration below 10 K reveals that the spin polarization of 2DEGs is enhanced via submonolayer insertion. Simultaneously, we also observe an enlarged spin-orbit interaction at the buffered LAO/STO interface, resulting in a remarkably strong field-orientation-dependent magnetoresistance. Such tailored LAO/STO interfaces could potentially contribute to stronger spin-to-charge conversion responses and spin-torque measurements. Our observations indicate the subunit-cell insertion of functional layers to be a suitable route to tailor spin, orbital, and lattice interactions of the interfacial 2DEG, which makes the LAO/STO system an intriguing platform for spintronic applications.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 18, 034012– Published 6 September, 2022
  • Received 24 February 2022
  • Revised 22 June 2022
  • Accepted 28 July 2022
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