Fabrication of chemically and structurally abrupt Eu1−xLaxO/SrO/Si interfaces and their analysis by STEM-EELS

Abstract

Precise control of molecular-beam epitaxy deposition conditions has enabled the fabrication of chemically and structurally abrupt ${\mathrm{Eu}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}\mathrm{O}/\mathrm{SrO}/\mathrm{Si}$ interfaces by interposing as little as half a monolayer of SrO between the La-doped EuO and silicon. The interfaces were analyzed by scanning transmission electron microscopy-electron energy loss spectroscopy; no reaction products were detected. These abrupt interfaces might enable direct ohmic injection of spin-polarized currents from the doped half-metallic semiconductor EuO into silicon.