Imaging of room-temperature ferromagnetic nano-domains at the surface of a non-magnetic oxide.
Two-dimensional electron gases at oxide surfaces or interfaces show exotic ordered states of matter, like superconductivity, magnetism or spin-polarized states, and are a promising platform for alternative oxide-based electronics. Here we directly image a dense population of randomly distributed ferromagnetic domains of ∼40 nm typical sizes at room temperature at the oxygen-deficient surface of SrTiO3, a non-magnetic transparent insulator in the bulk. We use laser-based photoemission electron microscopy, an experimental technique that gives selective spin detection of the surface carriers, even in bulk insulators, with a high spatial resolution of 2.6 nm. We furthermore find that the Curie temperature in this system is as high as 900 K. These findings open perspectives for applications in nano-domain magnetism and spintronics using oxide-based devices, for instance through the nano-engineering of oxygen vacancies at surfaces or interfaces of transition-metal oxides.
Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8581, Japan.|CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan.
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Taniuchi
Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8581, Japan.
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Motoyui
Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8581, Japan.
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Morozumi
CSNSM, CNRS/IN2P3 and Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiments 104 et 108, Orsay 91405, France.|Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, Saint-Aubin-BP48, Gif-sur-Yvette 91192, France.
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Rödel
CSNSM, CNRS/IN2P3 and Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiments 104 et 108, Orsay 91405, France.
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Fortuna
CSNSM, CNRS/IN2P3 and Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiments 104 et 108, Orsay 91405, France.
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Santander-Syro
Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8581, Japan.|CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan.
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Shin