Soft X-ray Nano-spectroscopy for Electronic Structures of Transition Metal Oxide Nano-structures

In order to develop nano-devices with much lower power consumption for beyond-CMOS applications, the fundamental understanding and precise control of the electronic properties of ultrathin transition metal oxide (TMO) films are strongly required. The metal-insulator transition (MIT) is not only an important issue in solid state physics, but also a useful phenomenon for device applications like switching or memory devices. For potential use in such application, the electronic structures of MIT, observed for TMO nano-structures, have been investigated using a synchrotron radiation angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy system combined with a laser molecular beam epitaxy chamber and a scanning photoelectron microscopy system with 70 nm spatial resolution. In this review article, electronic structures revealed by soft X-ray nano-spectroscopy are presented for i) polarity-dependent MIT and thickness-dependent MIT of TMO ultrathin films of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and SrVO3/SrTiO3, respectively, and ii) electric field-induced MIT of TMO nano-structures showing resistance switching behaviors due to interfacial redox reactions and/or filamentary path formation. These electronic structures have been successfully correlated with the electrical properties of nano-structured films and nano-devices.