Duality and degeneracy lifting in two-dimensional electron liquids on SrTiO$_3$(001)

TL;DR

This study elucidates how surface structure influences two-dimensional electron liquids on SrTiO3(001), revealing the roles of surface termination, polar distortions, and spin order in their degeneracy and properties, advancing understanding for electronic and spintronic applications.

Contribution

It provides a detailed correlation between surface termination, structural distortions, and electronic properties of 2DELs on SrTiO3(001), clarifying previous ambiguities and demonstrating control mechanisms.

Findings

SrO termination develops a 2DEL with oxygen vacancies.

Differences in 2DEL degeneracy are due to polar distortions and spin order.

Fundamental electron-phonon coupling strength is characterized.

Abstract

Two-dimensional electron liquids (2DELs) have increasing technological relevance for ultrafast electronics and spintronics, yet significant gaps in their fundamental understanding are exemplified on the prototypical SrTiO$_3$. We correlate the exact SrTiO$_3$(001) surface structure with distinct 2DELs through combined microscopic angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and non-contact atomic force microscopy on truly bulk-terminated surfaces that alleviate structural uncertainties inherent to this long-studied system. The SrO termination is shown to develop a 2DEL following the creation of oxygen vacancies, unlike the intrinsically metallic TiO$_2$ termination. Differences in degeneracy of the 2DELs, that share the same band filling and identical band bending, are assigned to polar distortions of the Ti atoms in combination with spin order, supported with the extraction of fundamental electron-phonon coupling strength. These results not only resolve the ambiguities regarding 2DELs on SrTiO$_3$ thus far, but also pave the way to manipulating band filling and spin order in oxide 2DELs in general.