Effective Carrier Doping and Metallization in LaxSr2-x-yBayIrO4-delta Thin Films

TL;DR

This study demonstrates how specific doping and structural modifications in LaxSr2-x-yBayIrO4-delta thin films induce a transition from insulating to metallic states, advancing understanding of carrier doping in iridate materials.

Contribution

It introduces a method to effectively dope carriers and induce metallization in Sr2IrO4 thin films through combined chemical substitution and strain engineering.

Findings

Transition from p-type insulator to n-type metal achieved

Carrier density correlates with charge transport properties

Structural control enables tuning of electronic phases

Abstract

We fabricate LaxSr2-x-yBayIrO4-delta thin films by pulsed laser deposition, in an effort to realize the effective carrier doping and metallization in the Sr2IrO4 system. We design ideal in-plane Ir-O-Ir frame structure by utilizing tensile substrate strain and Ba substitution, as well as control La doping and oxygen deficiency. This enables us to elucidate relation between the charge transport and the carrier density through systematic changes from original p-type spin-orbit Mott insulator to highly doped n-type metal.