Highly insulating ferromagnetic cobaltite heterostructures

Ferromagnetic insulators are rather rare but possess great technological potential in, for example, spintronics. Individual control of ferromagnetic properties and electronic transport provides a useful design concept of multifunctional oxide heterostructures. We studied the close correlation among the magnetism, atomic structure, and electronic structure of oxide heterostructures composed of the ferromagnetic perovskite LaCoO3 and the antiferromagnetic brownmillerite SrCoO2.5 epitaxial thin film layers. By reversing the stacking sequence of the two layers, we could individually modify the electric resistance and saturation magnetic moment. The ferromagnetic insulating behavior in the heterostructures was understood in terms of the electronic reconstruction at the oxide surface/interfaces and crystalline quality of the constituent layers.