Electronically Reconfigurable SrTiO3/LaAlO3 Membranes for Probing Tetrazolinyl Radical Molecules

Free-standing complex oxide membranes provide a flexible route to integrate strongly correlated materials with a wide range of substrates [1]. We study SrTiO₃/LaAlO₃ (STO/LAO) membranes transferred onto sapphire and doped Si/SiO₂, where the STO/LAO interface can be reversibly patterned into conducting and insulating regions. This reconfigurability is achieved using conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) lithography [2] or ultra-low voltage electron-beam lithography (ULV-EBL) [3]. The ability to locally reconfigure buried interfaces with strong electric fields offers new opportunities for device engineering. As a target application, we aim to integrate tetrazolinyl radical molecules with STO/LAO membranes. These stable organic radicals combine long spin relaxation and coherence times with excellent air and liquid stability, simplifying handling and integration [4]. The thin STO layer may enable coupling between the two-dimensional electron gas and molecular spins on the surface, opening a pathway toward oxide–molecule hybrid devices for probing and manipulating spin states.

[1] Eom, K., et al. Sci. Adv.7,eabh1284(2021)

[2] Cai, J., et al. Nature 466, 470–473 (2010)

[3] Yang, D. et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 117, 253103 (2020)

[4] Yang, Z., et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145, 13335 (2023).