Oxide membranes

Transition metal oxides exhibit a variety of functionalities that make them highly promising for the development of novel electronic devices including non-volatile memories, sensors, and flexible electronics. [1,2]

However, their integration into CMOS technology remains a significant challenge. A potential solution to this issue can be the transfer of epitaxial layers, released from their substrate, onto a target substrate. Van der Waals-like hetero-structures would enable new material combinations by overcoming the limitations associated with high-temperature synthesis and structural mismatch of different layers.

For releasing epitaxial oxides from their substrate, we employ the chemical lift-off of a sacrificial layer grown between the substrate and the oxide. [3]

Once they are freestanding, oxides can be studied under various strain conditions, including applying anisotropic strain to create specific textures, and stacking them with a twisting angle [4, 5, 6, 7]. These novel systems could pave the way for discovering new functionalities that are otherwise restricted by the epitaxial relationship between the oxide and the substrate.

[1] D. Pesquera et al. J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 34 (2022)

[2] M. Lee et al. Adv. Mater., 34 (2022)

[3] D. Lu et al. Nature Materials 15 (2016)

[4] Yaqi. Li et al. Adv. Mater., 34 (2022)

[5] G. Dong et al. Adv. Mater., 32 (2020)

[6] Ying. Li et al. Adv. Mater., 34 (2022)

[7] G. Sanchez-Santolino et al. Nature 626 (2024)

Main researchers

Greta Segantini, Chih-Ying Hsu

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