Tailoring the electronic transitions of NdNiO$_{\mathrm{3}}$ films through (111)$_{\mathrm{pc}}$-oriented interfaces
ORAL
Abstract
Bulk NdNiO$_{\mathrm{3\thinspace }}$displays a 1$^{\mathrm{st}}$ order metal to insulator transition (MIT) that occurs simultaneously with a paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic N\'{e}el transition. For NdNiO$_{\mathrm{3}}$ epitaxial thin films grown along the (001)$_{\mathrm{pc}}$ axis, the MIT can be tuned between 0 and 200K through a variety of parameters, such as epitaxial strain or electrostatic carrier doping. Here, we extend the control of the electronic transitions of NdNiO$_{\mathrm{3}}$ thin films over an unprecedented temperature range by selecting (111)$_{\mathrm{pc}}$-oriented substrates as a template for the growth. We show that (111)$_{\mathrm{pc}}$ NdNiO$_{\mathrm{3}}$/NdGaO$_{\mathrm{3}}$ heterostructures exhibit a MIT above room temperature, at T$=$335K, and a N\'{e}el transition at T$=$230K. By comparing the behavior of NdNiO$_{\mathrm{3}}$ layers grown on substrates with different symmetries and lattice parameters, we conclude that the particularly large tuning of the critical temperatures of the system is produced by the specific lattice matching conditions imposed along the (111)$_{\mathrm{pc}}$ axis of orthorhombic substrates.
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