Polarization and charge-transfer effect on the transport properties in two-dimensional electron gases/LaNiO3 heterostructure

The film thickness dependent transport properties of the LaNiO3 (LNO) layer epitaxially grown on LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO) 2-dimensional electronic gas (2DEG) have been investigated. The ultrathin LNO films grown on the 2DEG have a sheet resistance below the values of h/e2 in all temperature ranges. The electron density is enhanced by more than one order of magnitude by capping LNO films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the interface undergoes unambiguous charge transfer and electronic reconstruction, leading to modulation doping of such atomically engineered complex oxide heterointerfaces. The polar-catastrophe of the 2DEG is directly linked to the electronic structure and transport properties of the LNO. The transport properties can be well modulated by the thickness of the LAO in the 2DEG, and the data can be well fitted with the polar-catastrophe scenario. These results suggest a general approach to tunable functional films in oxide heterostructures with the 2DEG.