RT Journal Article
T1 Reversible metal-insulator transition in SrIrO_3 ultrathin layers by field effect control of inversion symmetry breaking
A1 Gallego, Fernando
A1 Tornos Castillo, Javier
A1 Beltrán Fínez, Juan Ignacio
A1 Peralta, Andrea
A1 García Barriocanal, Javier
A1 Yu, Guichuan
A1 Rojas, Geoffrey
A1 Munuera, Carmen
A1 Cabero Piris, Mariona
A1 Sánchez Manzano, David
A1 Rivera Calzada, Alberto Carlos
A1 Cuéllar Jiménez, Fabian Andrés
A1 Sánchez Santolino, Gabriel
A1 Sefrioui Khamali, Zouhair
A1 Rivera Calzada, Alberto Carlos
A1 Mompean, Federico José
A1 García Hernández, Mar
A1 León Yebra, Carlos
A1 Muñoz, María del Carmen
A1 Santamaría Sánchez-Barriga, Jacobo
AB Strong spin-orbit coupling in SrIrO_3 mixes the orbital character of iridium d-bands, resulting in correlated narrow bands and a metal-insulator transition. Here, the electric field generated by ionic liquid gating is used to manipulate the band structure, triggering a reversible control of the metal-insulator transition. SrIrO_3 is a correlated semimetal with narrow t_2g d-bands of strong mixed orbital character resulting from the interplay of the spin-orbit interaction due to heavy iridium atoms and the band folding induced by the lattice structure. In ultrathin layers, inversion symmetry breaking, occurring naturally due to the presence of the substrate, opens new orbital hopping channels, which in presence of spin-orbit interaction causes deep modifications in the electronic structure. Here, we show that in SrIrO_3 ultrathin films the effect of inversion symmetry breaking on the band structure can be externally manipulated in a field effect experiment. We further prove that the electric field toggles the system reversibly between a metallic and an insulating state with canted antiferromagnetism and an emergent anomalous Hall effect. This is achieved through the spin-orbit driven coupling of the electric field generated in an ionic liquid gate to the electronic structure, where the electric field controls the band structure rather than the usual band filling, thereby enabling electrical control of the effective role of electron correlations. The externally tunable antiferromagnetic insulator, rooted in the strong spin-orbit interaction of iridium, may inspire interesting applications in spintronics.
PB Springernature
YR 2023
FD 2023-05-24
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/87518
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/87518
LA eng
NO Gallego, F., Tornos Castillo, J. & Beltrán Fínez, J. I. et al. «Reversible Metal-Insulator Transition in SrIrO3 Ultrathin Layers by Field Effect Control of Inversion Symmetry Breaking». Communications Materials, vol. 4, n.o 1, mayo de 2023, pp. 1-10. www.nature.com, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-023-00362-7.
NO The authors acknowledge receiving funding from the project To2Dox of FlagERA ERANET Cofund implemented within the European Union's Horizon Europe Program. Work (J.S., C.L., F.M., M.G.-H.) supported by Spanish AEI through grants, PID2020-118078RB-I00 and by Regional Government of Madrid CAM through SINERGICO project Y2020/NMT-6661 CAIRO-CM. G.S.-S. acknowledges financial support from Spanish MCI Grant Nos. RTI2018-099054-J-I00 (MCI/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IJC2018-038164-I. M.C.M. acknowledges the financial support provided by PID2021-122980OB-C55. J.I.B. acknowledges the financial support provided by PID2021-122980OB-C51 and computational support provided by the Red Espanola de Supercomputacion under the projects FI-2018-1-0038 and FI-2019-3-0034.
NO Unión Europea
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
NO Comunidad de Madrid
NO Red Española de Supercomputación
DS Docta Complutense
RD 11 may 2025