FOXES

The Project

FOXES project aims at assessing a reliable technology for the creation and control of freestanding oxide heterostructures of different types with an innovative method, recently developed at CNR-SPIN labs of Naples Unit, relying on strain engineering during pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of LaAlO3 (LAO) on SrTiO3 (STO) substrate. By inducing an abrupt strain-relaxation process, that results in vertical cracks formation and substrate spalling, this method gives rise to the formation of regularly shaped epitaxial superconducting freestanding LAO/STO micro-membranes (mMs). Moreover, the epitaxy of in-plane-lattice mismatched oxides results in intrinsically curved membranes, hosting a strain-gradient several order of magnitude larger than what achievable in mechanical bended mm samples.

FOXES project aims to investigate in detail this process in order to:

- Achieve a complete control of the thickness and size of the fabricated LAO/STO mMs;
- Fabricate and characterize more complex LAO/STO mMs with intercalated layers of other compounds;
- Apply the strain engineering method also to Sr- or Ca-ruthenate substrates;
- Investigate the effect of static strain and strain gradient on the mMs electronic properties.
- Implement membranes in nano-fabricated devices;
- Disseminate the results and gather together a community of national and international researchers working on freestanding membranes.

Additional info

Principal Investigator: Alessia Sambri (CNR-SPIN Napoli)
Local Unit: Emiliano di Gennaro
Team: Anita Guarino (CNR-SPIN Salerno)
            Antonio Vecchione (CNR-SPIN Salerno)
            Daniela Stornaiuolo (Physics Department – UNINA)
            Andrea Rubano (Physics Department – UNINA)

Program: PRIN PNRR 2022
Funding Agency: Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR)
Line of intervention: South Line
Project ID: P2022TCT72
Duration: Nov 2023 - Nov 2025
Budget: 226.820 Euro

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