*

Solid state systems possessing non-trivial topological properties are of interest in the context of spintronic applications as well as the fundamental study of quantum materials with a Berry phase. A particularly fascinating example of such a system is the correlated oxide strontium ferrite, SrFeO₃, due to its persistent metallicity and plethora of magnetic phases that arise from the high symmetry of its crystal structure ¹. One type of multi-q spin structure is suggested to host a skyrmion lattice, an appealing prospect for future integration into oxide electronic devices ². With this in mind, there is a clear need for high quality SrFeO₃ thin films, typically a challenge due to an unfavorable iron oxidation state and materials degradation ³. We synthesize and characterize SrFeO₃ thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition, addressing these challenges by varying growth conditions and encapsulating layers.

 

1.        Ishiwata, S. et al. Versatile helimagnetic phases under magnetic fields in cubic perovskite SrFeO₃. Phys. Rev. B  84, 1–5 (2011).

2.        Ishiwata, S. et al. Emergent topological spin structures in the centrosymmetric cubic perovskite SrFeO₃. Phys. Rev. B 101, 134406 (2020).

3.        Wang, L. et al. Time- and strain-dependent nanoscale structural degradation in phase change epitaxial strontium ferrite films. npj Mater. Degrad. 4, 3–8 (2020).