SrTiO 3. Whereas in oxygen-deficient SrTiO 3−x and Nb-doped SrTiO 3 films the Hall constant increases markedly below 100 K (29), it is less temperature dependent in LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 hetero-structures. In addition, the upper critical field of the heterostructures is an order of magnitude smaller than that of Nb-SrTiO 3 with the same T c. Finally, our observation of both superconducting and insulating behavior on the same sample, depending on the precise LaAlO 3 layer thickness, is very hard to reconcile with a pure oxygen vacancy scenario. Magnetic anisotropy allows magnets to maintain their direction of magnetization over time. Using a scanning tunneling microscope to observe spin excitations, we determined the orientation and strength of the anisotropies of individual iron and manganese atoms on a thin layer of copper nitride. The relative intensities of the inelastic tunneling processes are consistent with dipolar interactions, as seen for inelastic neutron scattering. First-principles calculations indicate that the magnetic atoms become incorporated into a polar covalent surface molecular network in the copper nitride. These structures, which provide atom-by-atom accessibility via local probes, have the potential for engineering anisotropies large enough to produce stable magnetization at low temperatures for a single atomic spin.

We report on a large electric-field response of quasi-two-dimensional electron gases generated at interfaces in epitaxial heterostructures grown from insulating oxides. These device structures are characterized by doping layers that are spatially separated from high-mobility quasi-two-dimensional electron gases and therefore present an oxide analog to semiconducting high-electron mobility transistors. By applying a gate voltage, the conductivity of the electron gases can be modulated through a quantum phase transition from an insulating to a metallic state.

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Extraordinary electron systems can be generated at well-defined interfaces between complex oxides. In recent years, progress has been achieved in exploring and making use of the fundamental properties of such interfaces, and it has become clear that these electron systems offer the potential for possible future devices. We trace the state of the art of this emerging field of electronics and discuss some of the challenges and pitfalls that may lie ahead.

A two-dimensional electronic system forms at the interface between the band insulators 1,2 LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 . Samples fabricated until now have been found to be either magnetic or superconducting, depending on growth conditions 3,4 . Combining high-resolution magnetic torque magnetometry and transport measurements, we report here magnetization measurements providing direct evidence of magnetic ordering of the two-dimensional electron liquid at the interface. The magnetic ordering exists from well below the superconducting transition to up to 200 K, and is characterized by an in-plane magnetic moment. Surprisingly, despite the presence of this magnetic ordering, the interface superconducts below 120 mK. This is unusual because conventional superconductivity rarely exists in magnetically ordered metals 5,6 . Our results suggest that there is either phase separation or coexistence between magnetic and superconducting states. The coexistence scenario would point to an unconventional superconducting phase as the ground state.Superconductivity and magnetic order are in general mutually exclusive phenomena. Nonetheless, the coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity has been suggested for finite-momentum pairing states 5,6 . Coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity has been reported in a few three-dimensional superconducting systems 7-9 , such as RuSr 2 GdCu 2 O 8 and UGe 2 . The question remains if such coexistence can occur in a two-dimensional electronic system. An intriguing candidate is the interface between the two band insulators LaAlO 3 (LAO) and SrTiO 3 (STO). At their ntype interface a conducting two-dimensional electron liquid is generated. Moreover, the LAO/STO interface was also reported to have a two-dimensional superconducting ground state 3 . For this system, magnetic ordering was suggested in ref. 4, the authors of which deduced the presence of magnetic scattering centres from the temperature dependence of the interface resistance R and a hysteresis of R during the sweep of magnetic field H . Different magnetotransport studies indicate an antiferromagnetic order 10 or a non-uniform field-induced magnetization and strong magnetic anisotropy 11 . Recently, it was found that, at both chemically treated STO bulk and LAO/STO interfaces, charges are electronically phase separated into regions containing a quasi-two-dimensional electron-gas phase, a ferromagnetic phase persisting above room temperature or a diamagnetic/paramagnetic phase 12 below 60 K. On the theoretical side, electronic-structure calculations yield complicated pictures for the magnetism at the interface layers [13][14][15][16] . Specifically, the calculations do not support magnetically ordered moments at the interface of an LAO/STO bilayer covered by Coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity has not been reported at the LAO/STO interfaces. The ground state was found to be controlled by growth conditions, carrier concentration 18 and external magnetic field 19 . These experimental observations based on transport properties ...

Since the first days of high-T c superconductivity, the materials science and the physics of grain boundaries in superconducting compounds have developed into fascinating fields of research. Unique electronic properties, different from those of the grain boundaries in conventional metallic superconductors, have made grain boundaries formed by high-T c cuprates important tools for basic science. They are moreover a key issue for electronic and large-scale applications of high-T c superconductivity. The aim of this review is to give a summary of this broad and dynamic field. Starting with an introduction to grain boundaries and a discussion of the techniques established to prepare them individually and in a well-defined manner, the authors present their structure and transport properties. These provide the basis for a survey of the theoretical models developed to describe grain-boundary behavior. Following these discussions, the enormous impact of grain boundaries on fundamental studies is reviewed, as well as high-power and electronic device applications. CONTENTS I. Introduction 485 II. Introduction to Grain Boundaries 486 III. Preparation of Single Grain Boundaries 488 A. Bicrystalline junctions 489 B. Biepitaxial junctions 489 C. Step-edge junctions 491 IV. Structural Properties 491 V. Transport Properties of Grain Boundaries 496 A. Current-voltage characteristics 496 B. Critical current density 498 1. Dependence on grain-boundary angle 498 2. Temperature dependence of the critical currents 502 3. Magnetic-field dependence of the critical currents 502 C. Current-phase relation 504 D. Normal-state resistivity 504 E. The I c R n product 505 F. Grain-boundary capacitance 506 G. Microwave properties 507 H. Grain-boundary noise 507 I. Self-generated magnetic flux 509 J. Penetration of magnetic flux into grain boundaries 510 VI. Effects of Doping 510 VII. Grain-Boundary Mechanisms 511 A. Mechanisms based on structural properties 511 B. Mechanisms based on deviations from ideal stoichiometry 512 C. Order-parameter symmetry-based mechanisms 514 D. Interface charging and band bending 515 E. Mechanisms based on direct suppression of the pairing mechanism 516 VIII. Control of Grain Boundaries with Electric Fields or Quasiparticle Injection 517 A. Applied electric fields 517 B. Quasiparticle injection 518 IX. Irradiation of Grain Boundaries 518 A. Irradiation with electrons 518 B. Irradiation with light 518 C. Irradiation with ions 519 X. Bulk Applications 519 A. Powder-in-tube method 520 B. Coated conductors 520 XI. Applications of Grain Boundaries in Thin Films 522 A. SQUIDs 522 B. Radiation detectors and spectrometers 524 C. Three-terminal devices 525 D. Superconducting logic circuits 526 E. Research devices 526 XII. Summary and Outlook 528 Acknowledgments 529 References 529

Experimental and theoretical investigations have demonstrated that a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas (q-2DEG) can form at the interface between two insulators: non-polar SrTiO3 and polar LaTiO3 (ref. 2), LaAlO3 (refs 3-5), KTaO3 (ref. 7) or LaVO3 (ref. 6). Electronically, the situation is analogous to the q-2DEGs formed in semiconductor heterostructures by modulation doping. LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures have recently been shown to exhibit a hysteretic electric-field-induced metal-insulator quantum phase transition for LaAlO3 thicknesses of 3 unit cells. Here, we report the creation and erasure of nanoscale conducting regions at the interface between two insulating oxides, LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. Using voltages applied by a conducting atomic force microscope (AFM) probe, the buried LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface is locally and reversibly switched between insulating and conducting states. Persistent field effects are observed using the AFM probe as a gate. Patterning of conducting lines with widths of approximately 3 nm, as well as arrays of conducting islands with densities >10(14) inch(-2), is demonstrated. The patterned structures are stable for >24 h at room temperature.

Semiconducting field-effect transistors are the workhorses of the modern electronics era. Recently, application of the field-effect approach to compounds other than semiconductors has created opportunities to electrostatically modulate types of correlated electron behaviour--including high-temperature superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance--and potentially tune the phase transitions in such systems. Here we provide an overview of the achievements in this field and discuss the opportunities brought by the field-effect approach.