Epitaxial growth and electrical transport property of artificial LaNiO3/LaAlO3 superlattices

We successfully grew epitaxial LaNiO3(1 u.c.)/LaAlO3(1 u.c.) superlattices on single crystal LaAlO3 (0 0 1) substrates using pulsed laser deposition method. Specular RHEED intensity oscillations were repeated continuously throughout the entire growth. Large angle θ–2θ X-ray scans show only the peaks from the superlattices and substrates. These results verify the highly qualified crystal structure of the superlattices. The temperature dependence of the resistivity exhibits a semiconducting behavior in the entire temperature range studied. These observations indicate that the semiconducting characteristics of the superlattice are attributed to the radical alteration of the electronic structure of the NiO2 layers.