Customizing an Electronic Material

(Paul Scherrer Institute, September 22, 2020)

Using sophisticated X-ray scattering, Paul Scherrer Institut scientists, alongside colleagues in Poland, the US and France, were recently able to acquire a fundamental understanding of strontium-iridium oxide (Sr2IrO4) – a highly promising material that could be suited to future data storage applications. In order to obtain these insights, the researchers investigated the magnetic and electronic properties of the material as a thin film, and analyzed how these properties can be systematically controlled by manipulating the films. Although it may take another 10 or 20 years before the current findings might contribute to the development of new data storage applications, Thorsten Schmitt, head of the Spectroscopy of Novel Materials research group, nevertheless stressed that their task of producing fundamental research is “vitally important as a stepping-stone in the future development of new materials."