Fabrication, characterization, and modulation of functional nanolayers

Abstract

Regions of a few nanometers at the surface or interface of a material exhibit various functional properties, which differ from those of the bulk because the electrons and/or ions receive different potentials due to the incoherent atomic arrangement. High-quality epitaxial films of functional materials called "nanolayers" are important to utilize such functional properties. However, fabrication of high-quality nanolayers of complex materials with complicated crystal structures is usually challenging due to the difference in the thermochemical properties of the constituents. In this chapter, epitaxial growth techniques, especially "reactive solid-phase epitaxy" of functional oxides and chalcogenides, are reviewed based on the authors' efforts. Additionally, this chapter reviews several modulation methods of optical, electrical, and magnetic properties of functional oxide nanolayers.