Polarization-dependent photoinduced metal-insulator transitions in manganites

Lina Deng; Weiye Zhang; Hanxuan Lin; Lifen Xiang; Ying Xu; Yadi Wang; Qiang Li; Yinyan Zhu; Xiaodong Zhou; Wenbin Wang; Lifeng Yin; Hangwen Guo; Chuanshan Tian; Jian Shen

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2023.11.058

Polarization-dependent photoinduced metal-insulator transitions in manganites

Sci Bull (Beijing). 2024 Jan 30;69(2):183-189. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.11.058. Epub 2023 Dec 1.

Authors

Lina Deng¹, Weiye Zhang¹, Hanxuan Lin¹, Lifen Xiang¹, Ying Xu¹, Yadi Wang¹, Qiang Li¹, Yinyan Zhu², Xiaodong Zhou², Wenbin Wang², Lifeng Yin³, Hangwen Guo⁴, Chuanshan Tian⁵, Jian Shen⁶

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Institute for Nanoelectronic Devices and Quantum Computing, and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Institute for Nanoelectronic Devices and Quantum Computing, and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201210, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Institute for Nanoelectronic Devices and Quantum Computing, and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Sciences, Shanghai 201315, China; Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201210, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Institute for Nanoelectronic Devices and Quantum Computing, and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201210, China. Electronic address: hangwenguo@fudan.edu.cn.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Institute for Nanoelectronic Devices and Quantum Computing, and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China. Electronic address: cstian@fudan.edu.cn.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Institute for Nanoelectronic Devices and Quantum Computing, and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Sciences, Shanghai 201315, China; Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201210, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China; Shanghai Branch, CAS Center for Excellence and Synergetic Innovation Center in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, Shanghai 201315, China. Electronic address: shenj5494@fudan.edu.cn.

PMID: 38057234
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.11.058

Abstract

In correlated oxides, collaborative manipulation on light intensity, wavelength, pulse duration and polarization has yielded many exotic discoveries, such as phase transitions and novel quantum states. In view of potential optoelectronic applications, tailoring long-lived static properties by light-induced effects is highly desirable. So far, the polarization state of light has rarely been reported as a control parameter for this purpose. Here, we report polarization-dependent metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) in phase-separated manganite thin films, introducing a new degree of freedom to control static MIT. Specifically, we observed giant photoinduced resistance jumps with striking features: (1) a single resistance jump occurs upon a linearly polarized light incident with a chosen polarization angle, and a second resistance jump occurs when the polarization angle changes; (2) the amplitude of the second resistance jump depends sensitively on the actual change of the polarization angles. Linear transmittance measurements reveal that the origin of the above phenomena is closely related to the coexistence of anisotropic micro-domains. Our results represent a first step to utilize light polarization as an active knob to manipulate static phase transitions, pointing towards new pathways for nonvolatile optoelectronic devices and sensors.

Keywords: Electronic phase separation; Metal-insulator phase transitions; Polarization of light; Selective domain controllability.