A conductive scanning study of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/Nb:SrTiO3 hetero-junction

Basing on conductive atomic force microscopy, we presented a direct conductance mapping for the interface of the La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/Nb:SrTiO3 hetero-junction. The most remarkable observation is the presence of an interfacial layer in Nb:SrTiO3 adjacent to the manganite film. Within this layer, the AFM tip/Nb:SrTiO3 contact shows a current-voltage dependence that strongly deviates from Shockley equation, unlike a Schottky diode. Spatial extension of this layer is explored and possible transport mechanism in or outside this interfacial layer is discussed. The present work gives a direct intuitional image on the interface of manganite junction. The principle proven here can be extended to other complex oxide interfaces.