Novel Solid-Source Metal-Organic MBE for "Stubborn" Metal Oxides*

A fascinating consequence of electron-electron correlation and spin-orbit coupling is the emergence of a wide range of quantum phases in complex oxides such as iridates and ruthenates. However, it has been notoriously difficult to grow these materials in an atomically precise manner using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) due to ultra-low vapor pressures and difficulty of oxidation for Ru and Ir. In this talk, we will present our group’s effort to address these challenges using a novel solid-source metal-organic MBE approach. We show, for the first time, controlled synthesis of metal and metal oxides of these “stubborn” elements with the same ease and control as afforded by III-V MBE. We will present detailed growth study with the focus to understand and control electronic and magnetic ground states in defect-managed complex oxide films.