High mobility conduction at (110) and (111) LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces

In recent years, striking discoveries have revealed that two-dimensional electron liquids (2DEL) confined at the interface between oxide band-insulators can be engineered to display a high mobility transport. The recognition that only few interfaces appear to suit hosting 2DEL is intriguing and challenges the understanding of these emerging properties not existing in bulk. Indeed, only the neutral TiO(2) surface of (001)SrTiO(3) has been shown to sustain 2DEL. We show that this restriction can be surpassed: (110) and (111) surfaces of SrTiO(3) interfaced with epitaxial LaAlO(3) layers, above a critical thickness, display 2DEL transport with mobilities similar to those of (001)SrTiO(3). Moreover we show that epitaxial interfaces are not a prerequisite: conducting (110) interfaces with amorphous LaAlO(3) and other oxides can also be prepared. These findings open a new perspective both for materials research and for elucidating the ultimate microscopic mechanism of carrier doping.