Synthesis and stability of thin films of purported skyrmion lattice metal SrFeO₃

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.



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