Synthesis of Ruddlesden-Popper Strontium Iridate Epitaxial Thin Films

We investigated the growth conditions conducive to synthesize Ruddlesden-Popper type SrIrO3, Sr$_{\mathrm{2}}$IrO$_{\mathrm{4}}$, and Sr$_{\mathrm{3}}$Ir$_{\mathrm{2}}$O$_{\mathrm{7\thinspace }}$epitaxial thin films via pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Many factors influence the thermodynamic interactions of the deposition and therefore, determines the material phase that is created. Through a systematic review of these growth conditions, we constructed a growth phase diagram that maps out conditions that enable stable formation of strontium iridate phases. We synthesized these phases with a single Sr$_{\mathrm{2}}$IrO$_{\mathrm{4}}$ target and by varying the O$_{\mathrm{2}}$ chamber pressure and the substrate temperature. These films allow for the analysis of magnetic properties of the material through vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and other methods. Our findings demonstrate the control of the thermodynamic stability of different epitaxial layered structure of the complex Ruddlesden-Popper family.