Anisotropy and interaction effects of strongly strained SrIrO3 thin films

TL;DR

This study investigates the anisotropic magneto-transport properties of strained SrIrO3 thin films, revealing structural distortion effects, strong electronic correlations, and the influence of magnetic scattering on weak localization phenomena.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the anisotropic transport behavior and the role of Coulomb interactions and magnetic scattering in strained SrIrO3 thin films.

Findings

Large anisotropy between in-plane and out-of-plane resistivities

Signature of substrate cubic to tetragonal transition

Evidence of strong electronic correlations affecting transport

Abstract

Magneto-transport properties of SrIrO$_3$ thin films epitaxially grown on SrTiO$_3$, using reactive RF sputtering, are investigated. A large anisotropy between the in-plane and the out-of-plane resistivities is found, as well as a signature of the substrate cubic to tetragonal transition. Both observations result from the structural distortion associated to the epitaxial strain. The low-temperature and field dependences of the Hall number are interpreted as due to the contribution of Coulomb interactions to weak localization, evidencing the strong correlations in this material. The introduction of a contribution from magnetic scatters, in the analysis of magnetoconductance in the weakly localized regime, is proposed as an alternative to an anomalously large temperature dependence of the Land\'{e} coefficient.