A flexible ferroelectric memory element based on oxide heteroepitaxy has been demonstrated with superior performance.

Layered growth of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) was successfully achieved by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method on c ‐plane sapphire substrate. Growth of monolayer to a few monolayer MoS2, dependent on the pulsed number of excimer laser in PLD is demonstrated, indicating the promising controllability of layer growth. Among the samples with various pulse number deposition, the frequency difference (A1g–E12g) in Raman analysis of the 70 pulse sample is estimated as 20.11 cm–1, suggesting a monolayer MoS2 was obtained. Two‐dimensional (2D) layer growth of MoS2 is confirmed by the streaky reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns during growth and the cross‐sectional view of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The in‐plane relationship, (0006) sapphire//(0002)MoS2and [21̄1̄0] sapphire//[01̄1̄0]MoS2 is determined. The results imply that PLD is suitable for layered MoS2 growth. Additionally, the oxide states of Mo 3d core level spectra of PLD grown MoS2, analysed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), can be effectively reduced by adopting a post sulfurization process. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is a compelling candidate for next-generation electronics beyond conventional silicon-based devices due to the exhibition of a sharp metal–insulator transition. In this study, in order to realize functional VO2 film for flexible electronics, the growth of VO2 film directly on a transparent and flexible muscovite via van der Waals epitaxy is established. The heteroepitaxy and structural transition of VO2 films on muscovite are examined by a combination of high-resolution X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The unique metal–insulator transition of VO2 is further revealed with a change in electrical resistance over 103 and a more than 50% variation of optical transmittance. Furthermore, due to the nature of muscovite, the VO2/muscovite heterostructure possesses superior flexibility and optical transparence. The approach developed in this study paves an intriguing way to fabricate functional VO2 film for the applications in flexible electronics.

Spintronics has captured a lot of attention since it was proposed. It has been triggering numerous research groups to make their efforts on pursuing spin-related electronic devices. Recently, flexible and wearable devices are in a high demand due to their outstanding potential in practical applications. In order to introduce spintronics into the realm of flexible devices, we demonstrate that it is feasible to grow epitaxial FeO film, a promising candidate for realizing spintronic devices based on tunneling magnetoresistance, on flexible muscovite. In this study, the heteroepitaxy of FeO/muscovite is characterized by X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The chemical composition and magnetic feature are investigated by a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The electrical and magnetic properties are examined to show the preservation of the primitive properties of FeO. Furthermore, various bending tests are performed to show the tunability of functionalities and to confirm that the heterostructures retain the physical properties under repeated cycles. These results illustrate that the FeO/muscovite heterostructure can be a potential candidate for the applications in flexible spintronics.

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