Anisotropic electronic phase transition in CrN epitaxial thin films

Jin，Qiao1,2; Zhao，Jiali1; Roldan，Manuel A.3; Qi，Weiheng2,4; Lin，Shan1,2; Chen，Shengru1,2; Hong，Haitao1,2; Fan，Yiyan1; Rong，Dongke1; Guo，Haizhong5; Ge，Chen1; Wang，Can1,6; Wang，Jia Ou4; Wang，Shanmin7; Jin，Kui Juan1,2,6; Guo，Er Jia1,2,6

2022-02-14

10.1063/5.0079360

APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS   影响因子和分区

0003-6951

Electronic phase transition in strongly correlated materials is extremely sensitive to the dimensionality and crystallographic orientations. Transition metal nitrides (TMNs) are seldom investigated due to the difficulty in fabricating high-quality and stoichiometric single crystals. In this Letter, we report the epitaxial growth and electronic properties of CrN films grown on different-oriented NdGaO (NGO) substrates. Astonishingly, CrN films grown on (110)-oriented NGO substrates maintain a metallic phase, whereas the CrN films grown on (010)-oriented NGO substrates are semiconducting. We attribute the unconventional electronic phase transitions in CrN films to the strain effects. The effective modulation of bandgap by the anisotropic strain triggers the metal-to-insulator transition consequently. This work provides a convenient approach to modify the electronic ground states of functional materials using anisotropic strain and further stimulates the investigations of TMNs.

SCI ; EI

英语

NI论文

其他

WOS:000760786900002

20220911733922

Anisotropy ; Chromium compounds ; Electronic properties ; Epitaxial growth ; Functional materials ; Gallium compounds ; Ground state ; Metal insulator transition ; Neodymium compounds ; Nitrides ; Single crystals ; Strontium titanates ; Substrates ; Thin films

Metallurgy and Metallography:531 ; Chemical Operations:802.3 ; Chemical Products Generally:804 ; Inorganic Compounds:804.2 ; Physical Properties of Gases, Liquids and Solids:931.2 ; Crystalline Solids:933.1 ; Crystal Growth:933.1.2 ; Materials Science:951

PHYSICS

2-s2.0-85125437932

Scopus

1.Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics,Institute of Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,100190,China
2.School of Physical Sciences,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,100190,China
3.John M. Cowley Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy,Arizona State University,Tempe,85287,United States
4.Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility,Institute of High Energy Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,100049,China
5.School of Physics and Microelectronics,Zhengzhou University,Zhengzhou,450001,China
6.Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory,Dongguan,Guangdong,523808,China
7.Department of Physics,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,Guangdong,518055,China

Jin，Qiao,Zhao，Jiali,Roldan，Manuel A.,et al. Anisotropic electronic phase transition in CrN epitaxial thin films[J]. APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS,2022,120(7).

Jin，Qiao.,Zhao，Jiali.,Roldan，Manuel A..,Qi，Weiheng.,Lin，Shan.,...&Guo，Er Jia.(2022).Anisotropic electronic phase transition in CrN epitaxial thin films.APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS,120(7).

Jin，Qiao,et al."Anisotropic electronic phase transition in CrN epitaxial thin films".APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 120.7(2022).