Spatial control of functional properties via octahedral modulations in complex oxide superlattices

Abstract

Control of atomic structure, namely the topology of the corner-connected metal-oxygen octahedra, has emerged as an important route to tune the functional properties at oxide interfaces. Here we investigate isovalent manganite superlattices (SLs), [(La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3))n/(Eu(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3))n] × m, as a route to spatial control over electronic bandwidth and ferromagnetism through the creation of octahedral superstructures. Electron energy loss spectroscopy confirms a uniform Mn valence state throughout the SLs. In contrast, the presence of modulations of the MnO(6) octahedral rotations along the growth direction commensurate with the SL period is revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. We show that the Curie temperatures of the constituent materials can be systematically engineered via the octahedral superstructures leading to a modulated magnetization in samples where the SL period is larger than the interfacial octahedral coupling length scale, whereas a single magnetic transition is observed in the short-period SLs.