Thermally activated recovery of electrical conductivity in LaAlO3/SrTiO3

TL;DR

This study investigates the thermally activated recovery of electrical conductivity in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 structures, identifying two energy barriers linked to structural defects that influence conductivity restoration at specific temperatures.

Contribution

It reveals two distinct energy barriers governing conductivity recovery, connecting electrical behavior to structural defects like dislocations and twin boundaries.

Findings

Two energy barriers identified: 0.224 eV and 0.44 eV.

Conductivity recovers near 70 K and 160 K.

Linkage to structural defects suggested.

Abstract

Patterned structures of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 that exhibit a decrease in their electrical conductivity below 30 K, recover their higher conductivity upon warming in a thermally activated process. Two dominant energy barriers $E_b$ are identified: $E_{b1}=0.224\pm0.003$ eV related to conductivity recovery near 70 K and $E_{b2}=0.44\pm0.015$ eV related to conductivity recovery near 160 K. We discuss possible linkage to structural defects such as dislocations and twin boundaries.