Band offsets at amorphous-crystalline $Al_2O_3-SrTiO_3$ oxide interfaces

TL;DR

This study investigates the band offsets at amorphous Al₂O₃ and crystalline SrTiO₃ interfaces, revealing significant interfacial barriers and insulating properties, which are promising for oxide-based electronic devices.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of band offsets at amorphous-crystalline oxide interfaces, demonstrating their potential for device applications.

Findings

Interfacial barriers exceed 1.05 eV for holes and 2.0 eV for electrons.

The interface is insulating with low ionic defect density.

Amorphous Al₂O₃ shows promise as an effective insulator for oxide electronics.

Abstract

2D electron gases (2DEGs) formed at oxide interfaces provide a rich testbed for fundamental physics and device applications. While the discussion of the physical origins of this phenomenon continues, the recent discovery of oxide 2DEGs at non-epitaxial interfaces between amorphous and crystalline oxides provides useful insight onto this debate. Furthermore, using amorphous oxides offers a low-cost route towards realizing 2DEGs for device applications. In this work, the band offsets of a simple model system of amorphous-crystalline oxide interface are investigated. The model system consists of amorphous $Al_2O_3$ grown on single-crystalline (001) $SrTiO_3$. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is employed to study the chemical states, band gap and band offsets at the interface. The density of ionic defects near the interface is found to be below the detection limit, and the interface is found to be insulating. Analysis of the relative band structure yields significant interfacial barriers, exceeding 1.05 eV for holes and 2.0 eV for electrons. The barrier for holes is considerably larger than what is known for related materials systems, outlining the promise of using amorphous $Al_2O_3$ as an effective and simple insulator, an important building block for oxide-based field effect devices.