Metal–insulator transition in SrIrO3 with strong spin–orbit interaction

The thickness-dependent metal–insulator transition is observed in meta-stable orthorhombic SrIrO3 thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition. SrIrO3 films with thicknesses less than 3 nm demonstrate insulating behaviour, whereas those thicker than 4 nm exhibit metallic conductivity at high temperature, and insulating-like behaviour at low temperature. Weak/Anderson localization is mainly responsible for the observed thickness-dependent metal–insulator transition in SrIrO3 films. Temperature-dependent resistance fitting shows that electrical-conductivity carriers are mainly scattered by the electron–boson interaction rather than the electron–electron interaction. Analysis of the magneto-conductance proves that the spin–orbit interaction plays a crucial role in the magneto-conductance property of SrIrO3. (paper)