Perspectives on oxide heterostructures - the curious case of γ-Al₂O₃/SrTiO₃

The heterostructure formed by depositing nanoscale thin films of spinel γ-Al₂O₃ on perovskite SrTiO₃ exhibits a range of exciting properties including room temperature epitaxial growth, high electron mobility, strain-tunable magnetic order, and a symmetry-related reordering of the conduction bands. In comparison to the benchmark LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ heterostructure, the γ-Al₂O₃/SrTiO₃ heterostructure has been more sparsely investigated, which leaves plenty of room for scientific and technological discoveries. In this perspective article, I describe the key findings of the γ-Al₂O₃/SrTiO₃ heterostructure and propose five directions for future research: (1) an exploration of novel phenomena emerging when relaxing the conventional epitaxial constraint of matching crystal structures across the interface, (2) a dynamic switching of a strong polarization through nanoscale electromigration of aluminum vacancies, (3) autonomous and forced enhancement of the electron mobility via oxygen vacancy diffusion, (4) writing and erasing of magnetic and conducting nanolines using ferroelastic domain walls, and (5) a multiferroic state formed by combining ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism, and ferroelasticity. The proposed research directions may shed light on both fundamental aspects of the heterostructure and pave the way for applications within green energy devices and nanoelectronics.