Metallic Quantum Well States in Artificial Structures of Strongly Correlated Oxide

Abstract

The quantum confinement of strongly correlated electrons in artificial structures provides a platform for studying the behavior of correlated Fermi-liquid states in reduced dimensions. We report the creation and control of two-dimensional electron-liquid states in ultrathin films of SrVO(3) grown on Nb:SrTiO(3) substrates, which are artificial oxide structures that can be varied in thickness by single monolayers. Angle-resolved photoemission from the SrVO(3)/Nb:SrTiO(3) samples shows metallic quantum well states that are adequately described by the well-known phase-shift quantization rule. The observed quantum well states in SrVO(3) ultrathin films exhibit distinctive features--such as orbital-selective quantization originating from the anisotropic orbital character of the V 3d states and unusual band renormalization of the subbands near the Fermi level--that reflect complex interactions in the quantum well.