Conducting interface states at LaInO3/BaSnO3 polar interface controlled by Fermi level

Abstract

We report on a new polar interface state between two band insulators: LaInO3 and BaSnO3, where the sheet conductance enhancement in the interface reaches more than the factor of 104 depending on the La doping concentration in BaSnO3 layer, by monitoring the conductance change before and after the polar interface formation as a function of La doping in BaSnO3. By eliminating the possibilities of oxygen vacancy involvement and cation diffusion, we show that the conductance enhancement is due to electronic reconstruction in the interface. Furthermore, we have found that the interfaces between BaSnO3 and the larger bandgap non-polar perovskites BaHfO3 and SrZrO3 did not show such a conductance enhancement. We discuss a model for the interface state where the Fermi level plays a critical role and the conductance enhancement is due to the existence of polarization in the polar perovskite, LaInO3.