Dynamical response and confinement of the electrons at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Apr 16;104(15):156807. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.156807. Epub 2010 Apr 16.

Abstract

With infrared ellipsometry and transport measurements we investigated the electrons at the interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. We obtained a sheet carrier concentration of N(s) approximately = 5-9x10(13) cm(-2), an effective mass of m*=3.2+/-0.4m(e), and a strongly frequency dependent mobility. The latter are similar as in bulk SrTi(1-x)Nb(x)O3 and therefore suggestive of polaronic correlations. We also determined the vertical concentration profile which has a strongly asymmetric shape with a rapid initial decay over the first 2 nm and a pronounced tail that extends to about 11 nm.