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Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Growth and Electrostatic/chemical Properties of Metal/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterostructures
Published on: February 8, 2018
Atomic structure of a spinel-like transition Al2O3(100) surface
Thomas N Jensen1, Kristoffer Meinander1, Stig Helveg2
1Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Abstract:
We study a crystalline epitaxial alumina thin film with the characteristics of a spinel-type transition Al2O3(100) surface by using atom-resolved noncontact atomic force microscopy and density functional theory. It is shown that the films are terminated by an Al-O layer rich in Al vacancies, exhibiting a strong preference for surface hydroxyl group formation in two configurations. The transition alumina films are crystalline and perfectly stable in ambient atmospheres, a quality which is expected to open the door to new fundamental studies of the surfaces of transition aluminas.
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