Electronic Inhomogeneity Influence on the Anomalous Hall Resistivity Loops of SrRuO3 Epitaxially Interfaced with 5d Perovskites

Abstract

SrRuO₃, a 4d ferromagnet with multiple Weyl nodes at the Fermi level, offers a rich playground to design epitaxial heterostructures and superlattices with fascinating magnetic and magnetotransport properties. Interfacing ultrathin SrRuO₃ layers with large spin-orbit coupling 5d transition-metal oxides, such as SrIrO₃, results in pronounced peaklike anomalies in the magnetic field dependence of the Hall resistivity. Such anomalies have been attributed either to the formation of Néel-type skyrmions or to modifications of the Berry curvature of the topologically nontrivial conduction bands near the Fermi level of SrRuO₃. Here, epitaxial multilayers based on SrRuO₃ interfaced with 5d perovskite oxides, such as SrIrO₃ and SrHfO₃, were studied. This work focuses on the magnetotransport properties of the multilayers, aiming to unravel the role played by the interfaces with 5d perovskites in the peaklike anomalies of the Hall resistance loops of SrRuO₃ layers. Interfacing with large band gap insulating SrHfO₃ layers did not influence the anomalous Hall resistance loops, while interfacing with the nominally paramagnetic semimetal SrIrO₃ resulted in pronounced peaklike anomalies, which have been lately attributed to a topological Hall effect contribution as a result of skyrmions. This interpretation is, however, under strong debate and lately alternative causes, such as inhomogeneity of the thickness and the electronic properties of the SrRuO₃ layers, have been considered. Aligned with these latter proposals, our findings reveal the central role played in the anomalies of the Hall resistivity loops by electronic inhomogeneity of SrRuO₃ layers due to the interfacing with semimetallic 5d⁵ SrIrO₃.