Sie sind auf Seite 1von 5

PHYSICAL REVIEW B 82, 115117 2010

Electron-doped Sr2IrO4 (0 0.04): Evolution of a disordered Jeff = 2 Mott insulator


1

into an exotic metallic state


O. B. Korneta,1,2 Tongfei Qi,1,2 S. Chikara,1,2 S. Parkin,1,3 L. E. De Long,1,2 P. Schlottmann,4 and G. Cao1,2,*
1Center for Advanced Materials, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA
2Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA
3
Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA
4Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA

Received 14 July 2010; published 17 September 2010


1
Stoichiometric Sr2IrO4 is a ferromagnetic Jeff = 2 Mott insulator driven by strong spin-orbit coupling. Intro-
duction of very dilute oxygen vacancies into single-crystal Sr2IrO4 with 0.04 leads to significant changes
in lattice parameters and an insulator-to-metal transition at TMI = 105 K. The highly anisotropic electrical
resistivity of the low-temperature metallic state for 0.04 exhibits anomalous properties characterized by
non-Ohmic behavior and an abrupt current-induced transition in the resistivity at T = 52 K, which separates
two regimes of resistive switching in the nonlinear I-V characteristics. The novel behavior illustrates an exotic
ground state and constitutes a new paradigm for devices structures in which electrical resistivity is manipulated
via low-level current densities 10 mA/ cm2 compared to higher spin-torque currents 107 108 A / cm2 or
magnetic inductions 0.1 1.0 T.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.115117 PACS numbers: 71.30.h, 71.70.Ej, 75.30.m

I. INTRODUCTION II. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS

It is commonly expected that iridates are more metallic Synthesis of flux-grown single-crystal Sr2IrO4 is de-
and less magnetic than their 3d and 4d counterparts. The scribed elsewhere.5,8,11,12 The crystal structures of both stoi-
extended nature of 5d orbitals leads to a broad 5d bandwidth chiometric Sr2IrO4 and nonstoichiometric Sr2IrO4
and a reduced Coulomb interaction U, such that the Stoner 0.04 single crystals were determined at T = 90 and 295 K
criterion anticipates a metallic, paramagnetic state. In using a Nonius Kappa charge coupled device x-ray diffrac-
marked contrast, many iridates are magnetic insulators e.g., tometer and Mo K radiation. Chemical compositions of the
BaIrO3, Sr2IrO4, and Sr3Ir2O7 while the correlated metal single crystals were determined using energy-dispersive
SrIrO3 is an exception.112 The unusual properties of Sr2IrO4 x-ray analysis. Unlike cuprate single crystals that require a
have been attributed to the interplay of a strong spin-orbit complex postannealing sequence and a long diffusion time
interaction with a comparable crystalline electric field e.g., days or even weeks to significantly alter physical
splitting,25 which leads to a novel Jeff = 1 / 2 Mott state6,7 properties, single-crystal samples of the layered iridates un-
associated with a topological phase.9 Sr2IrO4 is a weak fer- dergo significant structural alterations and radical changes
romagnet FM TC = 240 K with a saturation moment no in bulk transport and magnetic properties after merely hours
greater than 0.14 B / Ir.5,8 The competition between mag- of post annealing. Reduced oxygen content 0 0.04
netic exchange interactions and lattice distortions in Sr2IrO4 was generated by firing an as-grown single-crystal Sr2IrO4 in
gives rise to a giant magnetodielectric shift of order 100% a thermogravimetric analysis TGA Mettler-Toledo Model
in magnetic inductions B 1 T that is driven by spin-orbit TGA/DSC 1 or an evacuated quartz tube at 600 C for dif-
coupling rather than magnetization.8 ferent periods of time, depending on the composition
Sr2IrO4 sought. We note that structural and physical prop-
Here, we report that introduction of very dilute oxygen
erties of other iridates such as Sr3Ir2O7 and BaIrO3 show the
vacancies into single-crystal Sr2IrO4 drives the following
same sensitivity to oxygen depletion. Values of were de-
intriguing phenomena: 1 An insulator-to-metal transition
termined in the TGA measurements. I-V characteristics were
signaled by a highly anisotropic resistivity that continues to obtained using a Keithley 6220 current source and a Keithley
decrease by several orders of magnitude below a temperature 2182A nanovoltmeter. The differential resistance was mea-
TMI 105 K for 0.04 without saturation to a residual sured using a built-in function of the above Keithley meters
limit at the lowest temperature studied T = 1.8 K. 2 Non- to eliminate potential thermoelectric voltages on the contact
linear I-V behavior occurs with switching at three modest leads. Comparisons between the differential resistance and
current thresholds 10 A cm2. 3 An abrupt current- conventional resistance revealed no differences whatsoever,
induced transition in the resistivity at T = 52 K separates indicating contact effects were negligible. Measurements of
two temperature regimes with different nonlinear I-V charac- magnetization MT , H, electrical resistivity T , H, and
teristics. thermopower ST were performed using either a Quantum
The properties of this exotic electronic state offer a new Design physical property measurement system PPMS or
paradigm for devices that can be manipulated by only mod- magnetic property measurement system MPMS, as de-
est electrical current densities. scribed elsewhere.8

1098-0121/2010/8211/1151175 115117-1 2010 The American Physical Society


KORNETA et al. PHYSICAL REVIEW B 82, 115117 2010

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

10
5
Sr IrO
2 4-

cm)
3
10 c

log (
10
1
a
=0
-1
(a) I = 0.05 mA
10-1
1.6 10 T 6 10
-4

cm)
c
(b) 3.5 10
-2 a
-4

(
4 10

(
10-9

a
~T

cm)
c
-4
2 10
-1 a
1.2 10 -2 0
2.5 10 0 10
0 5 10 15 20
T

cm)
T (K)
MI
-2
8 10

(
c
T
a
FIG. 1. Color online A schematic of the Ir1-O2-Ir1 bond angle -2 0.04
4 10
at T = 90 K for a = 0 and b 0.04 the changes in are I = 0.05 mA
exaggerated for clarity; a schematic of the band structure corre-
a

sponding to c = 0 and d 0.04. Note that decreases for


0
0 10 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
T (K)
= 0 but slightly increases for 0.04 as temperature is lowered. 300
(c)

V/K)
=0 Sr IrO
200 2 4-

III. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS 0.04

S (
100

c
Sr2IrO4 crystallizes in a reduced tetragonal structure 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
space-group I41 / acd due to a rotation of the IrO6 octahedra T (K)
about the c axis by an angle 11.24 This rotation corre-
sponds to a distorted in-plane Ir1-O2-Ir1 bond angle that FIG. 2. Color online The a- and c-axis resistivities, a and c,
as a function of temperature for a = 0 and b 0.04; c c-axis
decreases with decreasing temperature. Our single-crystal
thermoelectric power, ScT for = 0 and 0.04. Inset in b: a
x-ray diffraction data confirm this trend for stoichiometric
and c vs T for 1.7 T 20 K; note a downturn near 5 K in c and
crystals = 0 and also reveal that for = 0.04 increases linear temperature dependence in a.
slightly with decreasing temperature from 157.028 at 295 K
to 157.072 at 90 K, and the latter angle is significantly
larger than that for = 0, i.e., = 156.280 at 90 K, as transition near TMI = 105 K, resulting in a reduction of a
shown in Fig. 1 and Table I. The increment = 0.792 is c by a factor of 104 101 from just below TMI to T
large for such a small oxygen depletion. Moreover, the vol- = 1.8 K Fig. 2b. The strong low-T anisotropy reflected in
ume of the unit cell V for 0.04 contracts by an astonish- the values of a and c and their sensitivity to are consis-
ing 0.14% compared to that for = 0 see Table I. These data tent with a nearly two-dimensional 2D, strongly correlated
indicate that dilute oxygen vacancies relax and reverse its electron system. Below 20 K, a has linear-T dependence
temperature dependence with increasing while significantly without saturation to a residual resistivity limit; and although
reducing the structural distortion at low T. No such changes there is a plateau in c for 5 T 35 K, it is followed by a
in the lattice parameters would be observable in x-ray dif- very rapid downturn near Ta = 5 K Fig. 2b inset, which
fraction data should the oxygen depletion be confined to the indicates a sudden, rapid decrease in inelastic scattering.
crystal surface and not uniformly distributed within the bulk. Oxygen depletion also changes the electronic density of
The Ir1-O2-Ir1 bond angle is an important focus of this states gEF of Sr2IrO4, as reflected in the thermoelectric
study, as it controls the hopping of the 5d electrons and power ST, as shown in Fig. 2c. A peak in the c axis ScT
superexchange interactions between Ir atoms via the bridging for = 0.04 is only 1 / 3 of the peak value observed for
O sites10 and is therefore expected to influence physical = 0. Since ST measures the voltage induced by a tempera-
properties. For example, the a-axis resistivity a c-axis re- ture gradient which cannot be confined to the surface of the
sistivity c is reduced by a factor of 109 107 with doping crystal, the drastic changes in ST shown in Fig. 2c fur-
at T = 1.8 K as changes from 0 to 0.04 see Figs. 2a ther reinforces our conclusion that oxygen depletion is a bulk
and 2b. For 0.04, there is a sharp insulator-to-metal effect, as indicated by the observed changes in lattice param-
eters discussed above. The strong reduction of ScT for
0.04 indicates an increase of gEF with increasing , since
TABLE I. Lattice parameters at T = 90 K for = 0 and 0.04.
S 1 / gEF.13 The rapid increase of gEF with increasing
is also evident in Fig. 3a, where data for the a-axis resis-
Ir1-O2-Ir1 bond
tivity of five representative single crystals of Sr2IrO4 docu-
a c V angle
ment a decrease of aT = 1.8 K by nine orders of magni-
T = 90 K 3 deg
tude as changes from 0 to 0.04. These rapid changes in
0 5.48368 25.82705 776.6122 156.28 transport properties with doping are much stronger than
0.04 5.48123 25.814616 775.568 157.072 those observed for Lifshitz transitions in metallic alloys
where the Fermi level crosses small pockets with doping or

115117-2
ELECTRON-DOPED Sr2IrO4 0 PHYSICAL REVIEW B 82, 115117 2010

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 = 1 / 2 and J = 3 / 2 multiplets via strong spin-orbit coupling. A
10
2
(a) weak admixture of the eg orbitals downshifts the J = 3 / 2 qua-
=0 druplet from the J = 1 / 2 doublet.6,7 An independent electron
cm)

0
10
picture anticipates a metallic state, since the Ir4+ 5d5 ions
log (

10
-2 provide four electrons to fill the lower Jeff = 3 / 2 bands, plus
a

0< <0.04
one electron to partially fill the Jeff = 1 / 2 bands. However, the
10
-4 Sr IrO
2 4-

Jeff = 1 / 2 bandwidth W W = 0.48 eV for = 0 is so narrow,
0.04 even a modest U 0.5 eV is sufficient to induce a Mott
10
-6
gap 0.5 eV in the Jeff = 1 / 2 band.6 W is quite sensitive to
0.05
=0 0.03
structural alterations according to a recent first-principles
M calculation10 that predicts that an increased should cause a
0.04 0.04
/Ir)

a
broadening of the Jeff = 1 / 2 band and a concomitant decrease

(
a

a
H = 0.2 T 0.02
B

0.03 of the Mott gap by 0.13 eV, if increases from 157 to 170.

cm)
M (

0.02 The observed increment = 0.792 does not appear nearly


0.01
M sufficient to produce the dramatic changes we have observed
0.01 c T
c (b) in , and we conclude that another mechanism must be re-
0 0 sponsible for TMI.
-1
10 (
cm)
1.4 10
-1 a Removal of oxygen from Sr2IrO4 is expected to result in
7T 10
-2
electron doping of the insulating state that is observed to be
-1/4 -1/4
T (K )
cm)

1 10
-1 10-3
0.23 0.25 0.27
stable for = 0. According to LDA+ SO+ U band-structure
calculations10 additional electrons will occupy states in four
(

symmetric pockets located near the M points of the basal


c

-2
6 10
H = 0T 0.04 plane of the Brillouin zone. Each pocket has an estimated
o

2 10
-2
(c) filling of 2% of the Brillouin zone for = 0.04. The situation
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 appears analogous to doping in strongly correlated
T (K) La1xSrx2CuO4 where pockets of similar shape arise at the
same positions in the Brillouin zone and La2CuO4+.17
FIG. 3. Color online Temperature dependence of a log a for There are, however, two fundamental differences: while in
several representative values of , b the a- and c-axis magnetiza-
Sr2IrO4 we dope electrons, the added carriers are holes in
tion, M a and M c for = 0 thin lines 0.04 thick lines and a
the cuprates; moreover, Sr2IrO4 is a weak ferromagnet rather
right scale for 0.04, and c c at 0 and 7 T. Inset in c: log a
vs T1/4.
than a simple antiferromagnet, as is La2CuO4.
Oxygen depletion also introduces disorder, which is ex-
applied pressure.14 On the other hand, they are reminiscent pected to lead to localization of states close to the band edge
of the extreme sensitivity of correlation-gap insulators to in a quasi-2D system.18 We assume that the Fermi level lies
dilute impurities and pressure.15,16 below the mobility edge for 0, and hence, the occupied
Magnetic correlations drive a weak FM state for = 0 be- states are all localized at high T, where the compound is a
low TC = 240 K, but surprisingly, no corresponding anomaly paramagnetic insulator. As T is lowered, the compound de-
has been observed in T and ST.4,5,8 We find that the case velops increasing FM polarization below TC and the intersec-
of oxygen-depleted crystals is quite different, where changes tion of the Fermi level with the majority spin band is gradu-
in magnetic properties with increasing are modest in com- ally pushed closer to the mobility edge as the exchange
parison with those in the resistivity. The magnetizations splitting of the band increases below TC. Eventually the
MT for = 0 and 0.04 measured in an applied magnetic Fermi level crosses the mobility edge, leading to metallic
field oH = 0.2 T are compared with a for 0.04 in Fig. behavior below TMI. The minority-spin carriers are always
2b. TC is approximately 10 K higher for 0.04 than for localized. TMI is clearly visible only for 0.04 in Fig. 3a;
= 0; and for 0.04, both M a and M c exhibit a weak, yet evidently the electron density is not high enough to imple-
visible anomaly at TMI marked by arrows in Fig. 2b. Ap-
ment the crossing for smaller doping. Note that this scenario
plication of a magnetic field oH = 7 T causes a positive
requires that TMI is considerably lower than TC since the
c-axis magnetoresistance on the order of 10% Fig. 2c, and electrons in the M pockets first have to be polarized.
a downward shift of TMI by 6 K, which indicates the low-T The reversed trend of the temperature dependence of
metallic state is destabilized by field. A magnetic anomaly in and the increase of with doping could be consequences of
M cT near TMI shifts rapidly upward from 100 K for = 0 increased screening in the metallic state. Furthermore, we
Ref. 8 to 160 K for 0.04, which coincides with a slope expect the metallic state to be inhomogeneous and conduc-
change in c see the dashed line in Figs. 3b and 3c. In
tivity increases to arise from the growth and percolation of
summary, FM order at high T is stabilized whereas the mag-
metallic patches; i.e., the metallic state develops out of a
netization at low-T is reduced with increasing .
phase separation of competing states. The importance of dis-
IV. DISCUSSION order in the physical properties of Sr2IrO4 is corroborated
by fits Fig. 3c inset using a variable range hopping VRH
A. Metal-insulator transition relation aT = A expTo / T with = 41 for 187 T 350 K
Strong-crystal fields split off 5d-band states with eg sym- and with To a characteristic temperature; such behavior is
metry in stoichiometric Sr2IrO4, and t2g bands arise from J also observed in nonmetallic samples.5

115117-3
KORNETA et al. PHYSICAL REVIEW B 82, 115117 2010

-1 1 mA where V across the crystal decreases as I increases. The


1.4 10 5 mA
qualitative difference between the two regions separated by
T is clearly revealed in the temperature dependences of Vth1,
cm)

-1 14 mA
1 10
Vth2, and Vth3, as well as c, at I = 5 and 14 mA, as shown in
(

Fig. 4c. Note that Vth2 and Vth3 increase with increasing T
c

-2
6 10 T*
0.04 below T. For T T, the trend is reversed: Vth3 and Vth2 shift
(a)
to lower values and Vth1 tends to zero with increasing T.
2 10
-2 I=0.05 mA Note that T remains sharply defined in cT at 52 K, inde-
0 50 100 150 200
T (K)
pendent of I Fig. 4c. This completely rules out the possi-
bility that self-heating plays a role in the non-Ohmic behav-
5 10
-2 75 K 5 K 20 K
105 K 50 K ior.
-2
4 10 It is worth noting that non-Ohmic behavior or NDR,
-2 V which is not commonplace for bulk materials, has been ob-
I (A)

3 10 th3

-2 30 K served in the insulating state of layered iridates, such as


2 10 stoichiometric Sr2IrO4 Ref. 5 and BaIrO3,1 which exhibit
V
1 10
-2 th1 V switching behavior at a single threshold Vth, depending on
th2
0
(b) temperature, much higher than the upper threshold Vth3 in
0 10
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.04. It was attributed to collective charge-density wave
V (V)
CDW dynamics in the presence of disorder commonly seen
in the CDW state.1,5 Indeed, density waves pinned by oxygen
5 mA 0.048
1.2 10
-1 vacancies and then depinned by applied potential is one pos-
sible mechanism for the non-Ohmic behavior. The pockets at
cm)

V 0.032
V (V)

th3 the M points are predicted to have an elongated ellipsoidal


th
c (

-2
8 10 14 mA shape in the plane and due to the quasi-2D nature of the
V 0.016 compound so that a nesting condition between the pockets
T* = 52 K th2

-2 V (c)
cannot be ruled out. Such nesting could give rise to either
4 10 th1 0 spin- or charge-density waves that would have to coexist in
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
T (K) the presence of ferromagnetism.
The observed non-Ohmic behavior of the metallic state
FIG. 4. Color online a Temperature dependence of c for therefore poses intriguing questions concerning its origin.
several representative values of current I. b I-V curves at several Does non-Ohmic behavior observed in both the insulating
representative temperatures and c temperature dependence of c at and metallic states of iridates arise from the same
I = 5 and 14 mA and threshold Vth right scale. mechanismi.e., a CDW state? Note that the voltage thresh-
olds 102 V observed for = 0.04 are two orders of mag-
B. Non-Ohmic behavior nitude smaller than those 1 V observed in CDW depin-
ning experiments,19 which would suggest an extremely weak
The exotic nature of the metallic state of Sr2IrO4 is re-
CDW pinning by defects that has not been reported before.
vealed in striking non-Ohmic behavior, as exhibited by cT
Otherwise, the observed non-Ohmic behavior of the metallic
for various applied currents I see Fig. 4a; a behaves simi-
state must signal a novel metallic state that does not follow
larly, and is not shown. c changes slightly when I
Ohms law.
1 mA, but more dramatically when I 5 mA
The novel behavior of Sr2IrO4 clearly illustrates an in-
10 A / cm2 current density. Moreover, there is a charac-
trinsically unstable ground state that readily swings between
teristic temperature T = 52 K at which c sharply drops for
highly insulating 105 cm and metallic 105 cm
I = 5 mA, but rises for I = 14 mA see Figs. 4a and 4c,
states via only very slight changes in oxygen content. The
indicating a current-induced phase transition. Interestingly,
non-Ohmic behavior, whose origin is yet to be fully under-
the distinct downturn in c below Ta 5 K disappears for
stood, constitutes a new paradigm for device structures in
I 1 mA, although it is insensitive to applied magnetic field
which resistivity can be manipulated with modest applied
see Fig. 3c.
currents rather than large magnetic fields or much larger
The nonlinear I-V characteristic shown in Fig. 4b shows
voltages.
switching occurs at multiple threshold potentials as I varies
from 0.1 A to 50 mA. We infer a temperature T that sepa- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
rates two different regions: For T T, there are three thresh-
old potentials, Vth1, Vth2, and Vth3. The initial linearity in the G.C. is thankful to M. Whangbo and J. W. Brill for useful
I-V curve persists up to I = 4 mA for V Vth1 =0.011 V at 5 discussions. This work was supported by NSF through
K; between Vth1 and Vth2 linearities is briefly restored with a Grants No. DMR-0552267, No. DMR-0856234, and No.
reduced slope. With further increases in I, the I-V response EPS-0814194 G.C. and DOE through Grants No. DE-
exhibits a third threshold Vth3, which marks the onset of FG02-97ER45653 L.E.D. and No. DE-FG02-98ER45707
current-controlled negative differential resistivity NDR, P.S..

115117-4
ELECTRON-DOPED Sr2IrO4 0 PHYSICAL REVIEW B 82, 115117 2010

*Corresponding author; cao@uky.edu 9


B. J. Kim, H. Ohsumi, T. Komesu, S. Sakai, T. Morita, H.
1 G. Cao, J. E. Crow, R. P. Guertin, P. F. Henning, C. C. Homes, Takagi, and T. Arima, Science 323, 1329 2009.
M. Strongin, D. N. Basov, and E. Lochner, Solid State Commun. 10
S. J. Moon, H. Jin, W. S. Choi, J. S. Lee, S. S. A. Seo, J. Yu, G.
113, 657 2000. Cao, T. W. Noh, and Y. S. Lee, Phys. Rev. B 80, 195110 2009.
2 M. K. Crawford, M. A. Subramanian, R. L. Harlow, J. A.
11 G. Cao, Y, Xin, C. S. Alexander, J. E. Crow, P. Schlottmann, M.
Fernandez-Baca, Z. R. Wang, and D. C. Johnston, Phys. Rev. B
K. Crawford, R. L. Harlow, and W. Marshall, Phys. Rev. B 66,
49, 9198 1994.
3 Q. Huang, J. L. Soubeyroux, O. Chmaissen, I. Natali Sora, A. 214412 2002.
12
G. Cao, V. Duarairaj, S. Chikara, L. E. DeLong, S. Parkin, and P.
Santoro, R. J. Cava, J. J. Krajewski, and W. F. Peck, Jr., J. Solid
State Chem. 112, 355 1994. Schlottmann, Phys. Rev. B 76, 100402R 2007.
13 P. A. Cox, Transition Metal Oxides Clarendon Press, Oxford,
4 R. J. Cava, B. Batlogg, K. Kiyono, H. Takagi, J. J. Krajewski, W.

F. Peck, Jr., L. W. Rupp, Jr., and C. H. Chen, Phys. Rev. B 49, 1995, p. 163.
11890 1994.
14
T. F. Smith, J. Low Temp. Phys. 11, 581 1973.
5 15 P. Schlottmann, Phys. Rev. B 46, 998 1992.
G. Cao, J. Bolivar, S. McCall, J. E. Crow, and R. P. Guertin,
16 J. Beille, M. B. Maple, J. Wittig, Z. Fisk, and L. E. De Long,
Phys. Rev. B 57, R11039 1998.
6
B. J. Kim, H. Jin, S. J. Moon, J.-Y. Kim, B.-G. Park, C. S. Leem, Phys. Rev. B 28, 7397 1983.
17 J. D. Jorgensen, B. Dobrowski, S. Pei, D. G. Hinks, L. Soder-
J. Yu, T. W. Noh, C. Kim, S.-J. Oh, V. Durairai, G. Cao, and
J.-H. Park, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 076402 2008. holm, M. Morosin, J. E. Schirber, E. L. Venturini, and D. S.
7
S. J. Moon, H. Jin, K. W. Kim, W. S. Choi, Y. S. Lee, J. Yu, G. Ginley, Phys. Rev. B 38, 11337 1988.
18 N. F. Mott, Metal-Insulator Transitions Taylor & Francis, Lon-
Cao, A. Sumi, H. Funakubo, C. Bernhard, and T. W. Noh, Phys.
Rev. Lett. 101, 226402 2008. don, 1990, p. 36.
8 S. Chikara, O. Korneta, W. P. Crummett, L. E. DeLong, P. 19 G. Gruner, Density Waves in Solids Addison-Wesley, New York,

Schlottmann, and G. Cao, Phys. Rev. B 80, 140407R 2009. 1994.

115117-5

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen