Paper on SrTiO3-LaCrO3 Superlattices Published in PRB

Our newest paper is out in Physical Review B, focusing on interfacial electronic behavior in SrTiO3-LaCrO3 superlattices. Dr. Comes synthesized these samples at PNNL and Prof. Chuck Fadley’s group at UC Davis performed synchrotron standing-wave x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements to probe how the interfaces led to a built-in electric potential gradient across the layers of the sample. Prof. Fadley’s group pioneered the use of these measurements, which allowed us to vary our sensitivity to different interfaces within the superlattice. We produced record-breaking standing-wave effects, which is indicative of excellent sample quality and material design, and allowed us to very carefully measure the electronic band alignment in each layer of the material. Our results support our previous interpretation from a paper published in Advanced Materials Interfaces in 2016. We also showed unprecedented interfacial sensitivity using the technique by identifying the individual SrO-CrO2 and LaO-TiO2 interfaces within the superlattice. This emerging technique for superlattice characterization is opening new doors for how to study complex materials and we hope that this paper is an important new step in that direction!