연구 Highlight

Reversible Photomodulation of Two-Dimensional Electron Gas in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterostructures

  • 저자명

    Gyeongmo Yang, Youngmin Kim, Jaeyoung Jeon, Minkyung Lee, Doyeop Kim, Sungkyu Kim, Kitae Eom, and Hyungwoo Lee

  • 저널명

    Nano Letters, ACS Publications

  • 게재권/집

    2023(3C01076)

  • 페이지

    1 ~ 9

  • 발표일

    2023-07-07

  • URLhttps://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01076
Long-lived photoinduced conductance changes in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) heterostructures enable their use in optoelectronic memory applications. However, it remains challenging to quench the persistent photoconductivity (PPC) instantly and reproducibly, which limits the reversible optoelectronic switching. Herein, we demonstrate a reversible photomodulation of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in LAO/STO heterostructures with high reproducibility. By irradiating UV pulses, the 2DEG at the LAO/STO interface is gradually transformed to the PPC state. Notably, the PPC can be completely removed by water treatment when two key requirements are met: (1) the moderate oxygen deficiency in STO and (2) the minimal band edge fluctuation at the interface. Through our X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrical noise analysis, we reveal that the reproducible change in the conductivity of 2DEG is directly attributed to the surface-driven electron relaxation in the STO. Our results provide a stepping-stone toward developing optically tunable memristive devices based on oxide 2DEG systems.