Atomic-scale growth, imaging, spectroscopy, and electronic transport properties of metal-oxide films and interfaces

Metal-oxide thin films and interfaces exhibit numerous fascinating electronic transport properties that are not found in conventional semiconductor materials. There has been much interest in engineering them to improve their functionalities, and an improved fundamental understanding of the phenomena that occur in oxide films and heterostructures is critical. In this review, an innovative approach to strontium titanate and zinc oxide-based heterostructures using state-of-the-art scanning tunneling microscopy and photoemission spectroscopy systems, as well as electrical measurements are presented. The results show that atomic-scale bottom-up processes with greater care provide excellent opportunities for improving material properties and classifying complicated conductivity.